Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: Surging Tides
by An1meG33K
Summary: Meet Martin Fisher, a young man with one simple goal: become a legendary Duel Monsters champion! Hey, I said it was simple, I didn't say it was easy. He's gonna have to face many challenges along the way, but mark his words, he's gonna make it.
1. Welcome to Duel Academy!

A/N:  
Hi, everybody! An1meG33K here! Yep, it's yet another Yu-Gi-Oh! GX OC Duel Academy fic. How original of me. Anyways, after taking a trip down memory lane and rewatching GX, I wanted to try my hand at writing one of these fics. Bear with me, this is my first fanfiction.  
Anyways, this is gonna be the format for the duels.

Life Points shall be displayed each time they change in a format like this:  
 **Duelist 1: 4000LP**  
 **Duelist 2: 4000LP**

As for the duel monsters, when a monster is summoned, their stats will pop up like this: **Monster Name(Level/ATK/DEF)**  
For example, when Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast is summoned: **Fusilier Dragon, The Dual-Mode Beast(7/2800/2000)**  
Stat Changes will show the original stats, followed by the new stats. So, if we equip 7 Completed to our Dual-Mode Beast, the format will be like this: **Fusilier Dragon, The Dual-Mode Beast(7/2800/2000)-(7/3500/2000)**  
Well, that's enough of my blabbering on. Let's get this show on the road!

0-0

Ah, Domino City, a bustling city with one passion surrounding it: Duel Monsters. Created by the legendary Maximillion Pegasus, head of Industrial Illusions, the game soon took the world by storm, helped by the emergence of skilled duelists such as The Godfather of Games, Joey Wheeler, The Dragon Master, Seto Kaiba, and of course, Yugi Muto, The King of Games himself. Soon, everyone around the world took to Duel Monsters, and the center of this craze was Domino City. Soon enough, schools were built in order to educate those who wished to become professional duelists. This is the tale of one of those duelists.

"CRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAP!" A young man exclaimed in a panic as he dashed through the streets of Domino City, his black hair flowing behind him as he ran. "Can't believe I slept through my alarm clock! I've been hyping myself up for this thing, and I overslept for the qualifiers! Thank God I still have a few minutes!"

What? I didn't say he was a punctual duelist.

While he wasn't looking where he was going, he accidentally bumped into a woman who didn't see her, spilling her coffee all over her.

"I'msorrym'amI'minabighurrybye!" With that, the young man continued his rush to his destination, completely ignoring the woman he had carelessly bumped into. She wore dark shades which completely obscured her eyes. If one could see them, they could see the rage that was burning beneath them.

0-0

Soon, the young man made it to his destination: the local Duel Arena. This was the place where many legendary duelists had come to battle, such as Mako Tsunami, Rex Raptor, and Espa Roba. Now, the Duel Academy was using it to test the incoming students of their worth. The young man looked up at the arena, and let out an impressed whistle. "So this is it… The Duel Academy Entrance Exams…" The young man mused as he gazed up at the imposing gates that stood before him. He pulled out a deck of cards from his pocket, and took out one card from the deck. Depicted on the card was an armored being clad in white, with its blue cape seeming to whip in the wind. Icicles sprouted out of the ground beside it, ready to impale anyone who dare attack it. The young man smiled. "Well, old buddy, looks like it's our time to prove ourselves." With that, the young man entered into the gates, ready to face whatever challenges he could head on.

0-0

Inside the duel arena duelists and proctors did battle, some returning failures of yesteryear, others wide-eyed hopefuls eager to prove themselves.

"Well, rookie, looks like you're about to lose this duel!" A proctor exclaimed dramatically. On his side of the field was a menacing beast-warrior wielding an equally menacing axe. **Vorse Raider(4/2900/1200)** Opposite the beastly axe-wielder was a warrior contained within a dark armor riding a sickly-looking dragon. **Dark Blade(4/2200/1900)** "My Vorse Raider's the strongest monster on the field with 2900 Attack Points thanks to my Axe of Despair! Attack Points he's gonna use next turn! I'm gonna leave you with two options! Either surrender now, and leave with your dignity intact, or fall to its deadly axe"

 **Proctor: 1000LP**  
 **Student: 700LP**

Across from the proctor was a thin girl with long hair that was silver, much like a well-forged blade. She took in a deep breath. "I won't lose here." She whispered to herself as she confidently selected a card from her hand. "First off, I unequip my Pitch Dark Dragon from Dark Blade!" The black-armored soldier swiftly sheathed his swords before leaping off of his mount, separating the two. **Dark Blade(4/2200/1900)-(4/1800/1500) Pitch Dark Dragon(3/900/600)** "Now, I'll use my Pitch Dark Dragon as a sacrifice to summon Kiryu!" The black dragon was replaced by a skeletal-looking red dragon, that screeched in triumph. **Kiryu(5/2000/1500)** "Next, I equip my Kiryu to Dark Blade!" The armored warrior landed on the red dragon's back, before unsheathing his blades once more. **Dark Blade(4/1800/1500-4/2700/2400)**

"Nice try, applicant, but your Dark Blade is still too weak to take on my Vorse Raider!" The proctor reminded.

The girl allowed herself a soft smile. "Who said I wanted to increase Dark Blade's power?"

"What?"

"Because now, I activate Kiryu's effect! By tributing it, my Dark Blade can attack you directly! Now, Dark Blade! Phantom Slash Attack!" The red dragon soon dissipated, and a ghostly red energy surrounded the dark armored knight. The knight then charged towards the proctor, completely passing through the menacing beast-warrior, and struck the proctor with his swords, ending the battle.

 **Proctor: 0000LP**  
 **Silver-Haired Girl: 700LP**

"Quite the clever combination," The proctor admitted begrudgingly. "Welcome to the Duel Academy, Jeanne Adrianne."

"Thank you sir." The girl politely bowed, before heading out to find a seat in the stadium.

0-0

Up in the seats, students who had already proven themselves sat, observing the spectacles of the battles, sizing up the new meat.

"Well, it seems that girl's gonna go far in the Academy." A young man with spiky red hair remarked to no one in particular. He wore a pair of pink Lennon-esque sunglasses on his face. He was casually slouched back in his chair, observing the various duels.

"Looks like," A voice behind him agreed eagerly. "This class is gonna be awesome!"

The redhead turned around, finding himself facing a young man his age with messy black hair and tanned skin. "Oh. Didn't see you there. Name's Crow Thompson, but most people call me Crow." Crow stuck out his hand for a handshake, which Martin accepted wholeheartedly.

"Nice to meet you, Crow! My name's Martin, Martin Fisher."

"So, think you're gonna get into the Academy?"

"Think? Man, I know I'm gonna make it!" Martin held up his deck in pride. "And with these babies, I'm gonna prove it!"

"Heh! Don't get too cocky. Nothing here's set in stone yet. First off, the proctors have to call you up."

As if the God Cards themselves had heard Crow, suddenly, the P.A. went off. "Fisher, Martin, report to Duel Arena 7. I repeat, Fisher, Martin, report to Duel Arena 7." The two boys looked at each other.

"Well, that's part one," Martin joked.

"Yeah, now you've gotta win," Crow pointed out. "and I have a feeling that's gonna be a lot harder."

"Don't sweat it, man! I have so got this!" Martin said cockily, pointing finger guns at Crow as he walked to the arena. Unfortunately, he wasn't looking where he was going, and tripped, barely managing to catch himself. "Woah! S-still got this!" Embarrassed about his flub, he quickly ran off to the arena.

Crow shook his head. "For your sake, I hope so…" He sighed to himself.

"Continue hoping," A voice next to him concurred. Crow turned his head to look at the new arrival, a petite girl with stringy black hair, much like a ghost you see in the movies. She seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Your friend's going to need all the help he can get with his opponent."

"Uh… who the Hell are you?" Crow said confusedly. _"And what the Hell is up with people continuing to sneaking up on me?"_

The girl barely turned her head to acknowledge Crow. "Call me Salem."

0-0

On the duel arena, a woman with short blonde hair stood opposite Martin. Her eyes were hidden beneath a pair of dark shades. Her face was impassive, and her overall appearance gave off an intimidating aura not unlike a drill sergeant. "My name is Professor Sarah Dorain, head of the Ra Yellow Girls' Dorm. What's your name, kid?"

Martin quickly bowed to the proctor respectfully. "M-my name is Martin Fisher, m'am!" Martin squinted his eyes at her, before opening them up wide. "Wait, I remember you! I'm really sorry about that incident with the coffee! I was in a hurry!"

Underneath her shades, Dorain's eye twitched. _"And I remember you, boy! I'll humiliate you so badly, you'll never want to even look at a Duel Monsters Card ever again!"_ She pulled out her deck and placed it in her duel disk. "Nevermind that, it's time to duel. Let's see if you have what it takes to make it into the academy."

Martin stared his opponent down, and pulled out his deck. "It's sink or swim time," he muttered under his breath as he placed it in his duel disk. _"Just hope I can at least float."_

0-0

Up in the higher seats, three students, all dressed in blue uniforms looked down on the arena.* "Hey, Lysandra," one of the students said. "Isn't that nutcase Professor Dorain down there?" The one that the student was talking to, a green-haired girl with two antennae on her head, smirked. "Looks like this duel's going to be interesting…"

0-0

"IT'S TIME TO DUEL!" Both of them cried out as they drew their cards.

 **Martin: 4000LP**

 **Professor Dorain: 4000LP**

"I'll start this off, punk!" The professor smirked as she drew a card. "I'm going to have complete control over this duel now that I'm using my true deck, rather than those garbage trial decks!" "I summon the mighty Chainsaw Insect in attack mode!" A strange-looking bug, with mandibles resembling chainsaws, complete with teeth that spun, took the field. **Chainsaw Insect(4/2400/0)** "Your move, applicant."

Martin's eyes widened at that. _"That's pretty powerful for the first move…"_ He gulped nervously. He shook his head, ignoring the fear that began to crop up, and drew a card. "I draw!" He smirked at his first draw. "Looks like it's my lucky day! I play A Legendary Ocean!" Suddenly, the arena changed. Stone constructs rose from nowhere, and the arena was surrounded by holographic water. One could see fish dart to and fro.

0-0

 _"An Umi deck?"_ Crow thought to himself. _"Seems like a pretty common deck. Wonder how Martin puts a spin on his version."_

0-0

"That's not all! I summon Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 in attack mode!" A red jet-powered drone swam up from the depths, hovering in place. _Amphibious Bugroth MK-3(4/1500/1300-4/1700/1500)_ "My monster's effect activates! Because A Legendary Ocean is on the field, Amphibious Bugroth can attack you directly!" The drone flew past the deadly insect, and positioned itself in front of the professor, aiming its machine guns at her.* "OPEN FIRE!" Immediately, it began to spray her with bullets.

"Gah!" Professor Dorian tried to swat the drone away, but it quickly dived back underwater before she could strike back. "Why you…"

 **Martin: 4000LP**

 **Professor Dorain: 2300LP**

p dir="ltr""That's the end of my turn, Prof!" Martin said, smiling cheekily.

0-0

"Wow, that's a pretty impressive move," one of the blue-coated girls remarked.

"Bah. This peasant just got lucky. An Umi deck? Pathetic," the leader scoffed. "That fool has no idea what he's gotten himself into," The green-haired girl smiled. "It'll be hilarious to see him get completely destroyed."

0-0

The professor's already short fuse turned shorter. em"That arrogant brat! I'll destroy him!"/em "I DRAW!" An evil smile appeared on her face as she drew her next card. _"Perfect…"_

0-0

"I don't like the look on that lady's face," Crow muttered.

"I don't either," The girl next to him concurred. "That woman over there is Professor Sarah Dorain, the Head Teacher for Ra Yellow Girls, and a former star in the Major Duel Circuits. She's legendarily known for holding a grudge, and it appears that your friend down there has incurred her wrath somehow."

"Now I really don't like that look on her face..."

0-0

"First off, I'll set one card facedown, and then I'll summon Goblin Attack Force in attack mode!" At once, a horde of goblins gathered upon the field, each wielding clubs. **Goblin Attack Force(4/2300/0)** "Now, my Chainsaw Insect attacks your Bugroth! Chainsaw Crush!" The fearsome insect skittered over to the drone, before clamping it within its fearsome jaws. Despite the machine's efforts to resist, the insect's powerful jaws proved too much, and Bugroth was crushed into scrap.

 **Martin: 3300LP**

 **Professor Dorain: 1300LP**

"Aargh!" Martin covered his face with his arm in attempt to block the shrapnel. "But now, because of your Insect's effect, I can draw a card!"

"Oh! So you know of my Insect's ability, do you?" Professor Dorain smiled evilly. "Well, too bad!" Her facedown card revealed itself. "I activate Skill Drain!"

"No!" Martin gasped in horror.

"I see you know this card well. Care to share what it does with the class?"

"Grr… it negates the effects of any monster that is on the field… at the cost of 1000 Life Points…" Martin kicked himself mentally. Of course she used that combo. Anyone who used cards like Chainsaw Insect and Goblin Attack Force carried a Skill Drain card with them. This was not good.

"Smart boy! Now, Goblin Attack Force! Mow down that pathetic child!" The troop of Goblins began to charge at Martin, before smacking him repeatedly with their clubs.

"Aaargh!" Martin fell to the floor at the powerful blows as his life points dropped rapidly.

 **Martin: 1000LP**

 **Professor Dorain: 1300LP**

0-0

"Crap! Martin!" Crow winced at the brutal beating.

"Like I said, your friend down there isn't dueling any ordinary duelist," Salem nodded. "He's dueling someone who's torn through the Minor Leagues."

0-0

"Rrgh… my turn." Martin drew a card, and smiled at what he received. "This'll work! I summon Terrorking Salmon!" He slapped down a card on his Duel Disk. Up from the depths swam a gigantic red and beige salmon, with large beastly fangs adorning its maw. **Terrorking Salmon(5/2400/1000-4/2600/1200)**

The Professor stepped back in horror. "What?! That can't be! That's a Level Five Monster!"

Martin wagged his finger in a taunting manner. "Tsk, tsk, Prof! Don't they have a teacher's guide for this? With the power of A Legendary Ocean, any and all Water Attribute Monsters reduce their Level by one! Even in the hand! And you know what that means! Go, Terrorking Salmon! Attack the Goblin Attack Force with Strike from the Depths!" The fish quickly dove underwater, before suddenly surging up from the depths, catching all five goblins within its maw. With a quick snap of its jaw, the goblins became fish food. "I set one card facedown, and I end my turn."

 **Martin: 1000LP**

 **Professor Dorain: 1000LP**

"Grr… I draw!" When Dorain saw what card she drew, she began to chuckle evilly. "Ehehe…"

0-0

"That doesn't sound good…" Crow gulped.

"It looks like she's drawn her trump card. Your friend here is probably doomed." Salem noted grimly.

Crow turned to the black-haired girl in fear. "What?!" All the answer he got was a solemn nod. _"Come on Martin, you got this..."_ Crow hoped.

0-0

"Hey, what's so funny?" Martin questioned.

"I admit, you've done better than I was expecting, but your fun ends here! I summon Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast in attack mode!" Suddenly, a thick fog began to roll in, and the sound of gears could be heard as a large… something began to approach the battlefield.

"Oh my God…" Martin gaped at the titanic beast that lay before him.

0-0

"Holy crap…" Crow, for once in his life, was at a loss for words.

"So the beast comes forth," The black-haired girl mused.

0-0

"That shrimpy punk's going down," The green-haired girl grinned evilly.

The monster that had taken the field was absolutely gigantic. It was a red and silver tank with the head of a dragon, and it was so tall it nearly touched the roof of the arena where they were dueling. Its teeth were jagged and deadly looking, but most dangerous of all were the cannons that were strapped to its head and sides. The mighty beast let out a roar of dominance which echoed throughout the arena. **Fusilier Dragon, The Dual-Mode Beast(7/2800/2000)**

"Hey, wait a minute!" Martin exclaimed. "That's a level 7 monster! How'd you summon it without a tribute?"

Professor Dorian repeated the same finger wag that Martin did before. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Looks like you're the one who needs to go study! My dragon's special ability means that I can summon it from my hand without tribute. Normally, when it hits the field, my dragon's attack and defense is halved, but thanks to Skill Drain…"

"…crap," Martin concluded.

"Afraid, are you?" Professor Dorain cackled. "You should be… Especially with this card! I activate 7 Completed, increasing my Dragon's attack by a grand total of 700!" The mechanical monster roared as its power increased dramatically. **Fusilier Dragon, The Dual-Mode Beast(7/2800/2000)-(7/3500/2000)** "NOW! FUSILIER DRAGON, ELIMINATE HIS PATHETIC FLOUNDER WITH TWIN CYLON LASER!" The beast roared in acknowledgement, before the cannons on its head began to charge up, before firing off a pair of powerful laser blasts from both of them.

"I activate my face-down card! Waboku!" Suddenly, a blue barrier surrounded Martin, protecting him and Terrorking Salmon from harm.

"Feh! Pathetic! Still trying to hold on to your last bits of hope?" Dorain scoffed.

"Hey! It's not over until the last life point has gone!" Martin retorted angrily.

"Oh, if you say so. I'd love to see just how you try and topple my mighty Dual-Mode Beast."

"Be careful what you wish for! I draw!" Closing his eyes and hoping for the best, Martin made his draw. He opened one eye, hoping beyond hope that the card would be what he needed. He then analyzed his hand, and slowly, a smile formed on his face. "Well, well, well, Prof, it looks like it's all over!"

"Oh? You've finally surrendered? Smart move, boy."

"Not even close! In fact, I'm gonna win in this turn!" Martin boasted, eliciting gasps from the audience.

"Hah! You've lost it! Do you really think that your pathetic minnows can stand up to my titanic monster?" The shade-wearing professor taunted.

"Just watch and be amazed! First off, I activate Mystical Space Typhoon, allowing me to destroy your Skill Drain!" A powerful wind soon whipped up, obliterating the trap card.

"Grr… it doesn't matter, my Fusilier is still far more powerful than any of your pathetic minnows!" It was true, the attack of the mighty mechanical beast was still unchanged.

"Who said that I wanted to reduce your monster's attack? I just needed to get rid of that pesky Skill Drain! Now, I sacrifice my Terrorking Salmon to bring forth the ruler of the ocean himself, the one and only Levia-Dragon Daedalus!" Suddenly, thunder began to rumble and the ocean began to darken. The fish all began to swim away in fear. Suddenly, a large whirlpool began to form, growing larger and larger until exploding outward, revealing a truly massive beast, standing in equal size to Fusilier. It was a titanic blue and purple sea serpent, with teeth sharp enough to tear steel. Its blue armored hide seemed to be stronger than titanium. The oceanic leviathan let out a mighty roar, nearly deafening those who were watching. **Levia-Dragon Daedalus(7/2600/1500)-(6/2800/1700)**

0-0

"Th-that's impossible! How could a runt like him possibly have a card that powerful?!" The blue-haired girl gasped.

0-0

"What the heck is that card?" Crow gaped in awe.

"The mighty Levia-Dragon Daedalus. Hmm. Seems your friend there's gonna make it in after all!" Salem giggled.

0-0

Professor Dorain slowly began to back away in fear. "No… It can't be!"

"It is! Now, with Skill Drain out of the way, I can activate Daedalus's special ability! By sending A Legendary Ocean to the graveyard," The water began to drain away from the field, the mass of water now orbiting around the mighty ocean creature in rings. **Levia-Dragon Daedalus(6/2800/1700)-(7/2600/1500)** "I can destroy all cards on the field! Go, Daedalus! Riptide Rampage!" With an almighty roar from Daedalus, the water then exploded out in a burst, shooting out everywhere. The water blasts impaled every single card on the field, tearing each of them apart. With one last roar of defiance, the titanic tank-dragon fell to pieces as well.

"My dragon! He was one of my best cards!" Professor Dorain began rubbing at her head in rage and panic. "How could a pathetic brat like him destroy it?!" Suddenly, she heard a growl behind her. Turning around, she came face to face with the mighty sea serpent. "EEEEK!" She scooted back in fear, realizing that she had no more defenses against the beast. "Nononononono!"

"You, know, Prof, I find it funny that you used the word, 'titanic,' because you're sunk! Now, Daedalus! Finish this duel with Roar of Poseidon!" The gigantic serpent hissed in acknowledgement, and it began to charge up a mighty attack within its maw, before each firing off a blue beam of energy, creating a large stream of destruction, headed right toward Professor Dorain.

"Oh, son of a-" The professor's sentence was cut off as the wave of energy slammed into her, destroying the last bits of her life points.

 **Martin: 1000LP**

 **Professor Dorain: 0000LP**

"Game, set, and match!" Martin pumped his fist eagerly and began to wave to the crowd, who were cheering loudly, before turning back to the professor. "Not bad for a bunch of 'minnows,' eh, Prof?"

As the holograms faded away, one could see that the attack had been so powerful, Dorain had been slammed into the wall by the sheer force of the attack, and she soon fell over twitching in pain, smoke rolling off of her body. One of the lenses of her shades had popped out. "I-it can't be… how? How could my deck lose to this rookie?" She then fell into sweet unconsciousness with that one thought still in her mind.

0-0

"Wow, that kid actually beat her," one of the blue-coated girls remarked.

"Yeah, I thought for sure that he was doomed there," the other remarked. Suddenly, the two of them were interrupted by the blue-haired girl, who slammed a fist onto the railing in annoyance.

"Grr... so what if he beat a Ra Reject teacher?" The blue-hair girl snarled. "I'm still the best duelist at this academy! And no peasant with an ugly snake monster is going to change that!" With that rant out of her system, she walked out of her seat in a huff.

0-0

"That. Was. AWESOME!" Crow cheered, and he immediately glomped onto the nearest person. Unfortunately, that person was Salem.

"Let go of me," she snarled in barely-restrained anger.

"Aw, come on, small fry! Celebrate! We just witnessed an epic d-AUGH!" When Crow refused to comply, he was soon met with a powerful punch to the face, courtesy of said small fry.

"I warned you," the short girl remarked as she left Crow out cold on the floor. _"But he is right. This place just got a lot more interesting with him around."_

0-0

A/N: Huzzah! Chapter One is complete! Feel free to leave any ideas, comments or constructive criticisms about this story!

P.S. Thanks to 300IQPrower for reading this and helping me write!


	2. Bugged by the Elite!

A/N

Shout-Outs

Weeb that's a Sheep: Yeah, looking back at Chapter 1, Martin does seem to be a bit too Jaden-ish. I'm hoping as I progress, Martin slowly begins to stand on his own two feet as a character. And don't you worry about my other OCs... muahahahaha!

* * *

 _"Ugh... man, this guy talks for a long time..."_ Crow thought to himself in boredom. He was leaning back in his admittedly rather comfortable auditorium chair, picking at any stray strings he could find on his new yellow blazer. Next to him sat Martin, clad in a similar-colored blazer, who was somehow rapt at attention at the long droning speech being made by their principal, a shaggy-haired man by the name of Kageyama. He'd been talking for what seemed to be decades, and Crow could barely stand it at this point. He turned to Martin. "Hey," he whispered quietly. Martin didn't seem to hear him, so Crow tried again. "Hey!" he whispered a bit louder. Still no response. _"What the Hell? Did the dude fall asleep with his eyes open or something?"_ Fairly annoyed at his friend's lack of attention, Crow proceeded to slug Martin in the shoulder. To his surprise, Martin simply slugged him back, his eyes still glued to their principal.

 _"I can't believe this guy... how is he still awake? And why is he even bothering to pay attention?"_ Crow grumbled as he rubbed his now-sore shoulder. _"Then again, this isn't the strangest thing about the guy."_ Crow recalled the entrance exam that was the reason Martin made it into the academy in the first place. More importantly, Crow recalled the fire in Martin's eyes as he dueled the professor. _"Dude was willing to go up against an opponent with an entire army of uber-strong monster cards, and he even won. This guy's not a normal duelist."_ Crow turned back to Martin, and couldn't help but smirk at the childlike glee that radiated off of him as Kageyama spoke. _"That's definitely for certain."_

* * *

Eventually, much to Crow's delight, Kageyama's talk finally ended, and the students were dismissed to wander around the area as they pleased. Some took a trip to the card shop to revise their decks. Others decided to explore the natural beauty that surrounded the academy. Martin and Crow however...

"Crow, buddy, I'm telling you, we're lost!" Martin yelled in exasperation.

"Come on, it's fine, Martin!" Crow replied with confidence. "I've got a photographic memory, and I can assure you that the Ra Yellow dorms are thisaway!"

"Isn't that what you said the last five thisaways?" Martin muttered under his breath.

"P-please... I don't want any trouble..." a quiet, fearful voice interrupted their conversation, and the pair turned their heads sharply towards the source of the noise. A silver-haired girl in a blue blazer was backed up against a small tree, her face one of fear. In front of her were three girls wearing similar blazers. The leader of the three girls seemed to be a green-haired girl, part of her hair sticking up much like an insect's antennae.

The green-haired girl sneered at her cornered prey. "Well, too bad. You've got trouble."

Immediately, Martin stepped in, his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "Is there a problem here, ladies?" he asked, grabbing everyone's attention.

The green-haired girl smiled at Martin patronizingly. "Oh, nothing that could ever concern a _Ra Reject_ like yourself. Now beat it."

Martin cracked his knuckles menacingly. "If you want to pick on someone, how about picking on me?" By now, the confrontation had gathered the interest of a small crowd, who formed a circle around the two duelists.

"Are you challenging me, the beautiful Lysandra Belladonna, to a duel, you maggot?" The green-haired girl snarled angrily.

"Personally, I'd rather punch you in the nose and be done with it, but I guess a duel works too," Martin retorted.

"Pathetic! I shall crush you underneath my boot like the maggot you are!" The girl snickered evilly, pulling out her duel disk.

"Yeah? Well _I,_ Martin Fisher, am gonna prove that you're nothing but a washup!" Martin shuffled his deck, his gaze never wavering.

By now, whispers had begun to rise amongst the crowd. "Hey, isn't that the guy who beat Dorain?" "Yeah, looks like he's dueling Belladonna! What I heard is she's the richest duelist here!" "The smart money's on the blue one."

The green-haired girl continued to snicker. "Don't you realize the difference between the two of us? I, Lysandra Belladona, am an Obelisk Blue, far more superior than a Ra Yellow such as yourself!"

"How about you shut your trap and prove it then!" Martin snarled, his fingers itching to take this girl down a peg.

"DUEL!" Both students cried out.

 **Martin: 4000LP**

 **Lysandra: 4000LP**

"I'll start this duel off!" Martin cried out. "First off, I'll discard my Warrior of Atlantis card to add A Legendary Ocean to my hand, which I'll now activate!" The area surrounding the duelists soon became surrounded by water, and several ancient stone constructs rose from the ground. "Now, I'll finish off by summoning my Atlantean Dragoons in attack mode!" Out from the depths of the ocean swam a pair of armed fish-knights riding on gold and silver seahorses. **Atlantean Dragoons(4/1800/0)-(3/2000/200)**

"How delightfully droll..." Lysandra mocked as she drew a card. "I, Lysandra Belladonna, shall start off by summoning Pinch Hopper in attack mode!" A dog-sized green grasshopper bounded onto the field, chittering in an attempt to be menacing. **Pinch Hopper(4/1000/1200)** "Now he's gonna say hello to your Dragoons!" The grasshopper chirped again, before bounding over to the fish-knights.

 _"What is she thinking?"_ Crow thought to himself. _"That's not nearly enough attack to take on Martin's monster!"_ True to his thoughts, the insect was easily cut down by the Dragoons before it could even think about reaching them.

 **Martin: 4000LP**

 **Lysandra: 3000LP**

"And now, Pinch Hopper's effect activates, allowing me, Lysandra Belladonna, to special summon any Insect Monster from my hand! And I choose the mighty Metal Armored Bug! Suddenly, the earth began to rumble as a gigantic semi-truck sized beetle tunneled up from the ground. Its body was sleek and shined like the sun. It let out a horrific shriek as it took the field. **Metal Armored Bug(8/2800/1500)**

"Holy crap!" Crow gaped. "She's able to pull out such a powerful monster on her first turn?!"

 _"This is bad..."_ Martin thought to himself as he took in the titanic beetle. _"It already seems that she's pulling out all the stops. Unless I'm able to pull out a good card soon, I'm toast!"_

"Now, Metal Armored Bug! Flatten his Dragoons with Ironhide Dozer!" The titanic insect groaned as it charged towards the Dragoons, easily crushing them underneath its massive bulk.

 **Martin: 3200LP**

 **Lysandra: 3000LP**

" _Now_ do you see the difference between us, you miserable grub?" Lysandra sneered. "I, Lysandra Belladonna, end my turn."

"All I see is one gigantic pest that needs squashing, along with that Metal Armored Bug of yours!" Martin shot back. "Now, I draw!" _"I need to be able to pull out a powerful monster, but how?"_ Martin scanned his hand carefully, before pulling out one he could use. "I set one monster facedown, and end my turn."

"Pathetic! I, Lysandra Belladonna, expected more from someone who was so eager to take me on! I draw! Now, I shall summon the mighty Insect Knight in attack mode!" A human-sized cockroach creature armed with a scimitar and shield flew onto the battlefield, bashing the hilt of his blade against his shield. **Insect Knight(4/1900/1500)** "Now, Insect Knight, cut down his facedown card!" With one skillful sword slash, the humanoid insect cleaved Martin's card in half, revealing it to be a blue-furred grizzly bear.

"You've just destroyed my Mother Grizzly card, allowing me to summon one Water Monster with 1500 or less Attack from my deck in Attack Mode! I choose another Mother Grizzly!" A second bear appeared on the field, standing tall on its hind legs. **Mother Grizzly(4/1500/800)-(4/1700/1000)**

"It doesn't matter, because now, my Metal Armored Bug will squash your teddy bear with another Ironhide Dozer!" With a second mighty groan, the steel-plated bug charged at the bear, trampling it underneath its bulk.

 **Martin: 2100LP**

 **Lysandra: 3000LP**

"Yeah, but now I can special summon another monster from my deck! Like the ever so lovely Cure Mermaid!" A red scaled blonde mermaid swam in circles around Martin, before blowing the Insect Knight a kiss. The insectoid soldier merely shuffled its feet bashfully. **Cure Mermaid(4/1500/800)-(3/1700/1000)**

"You're just stalling now!" The green-haired girl complained.

"Well, it's working, isn't it?" Martin retorted. "Anyways, it's my turn! I draw, and now Cure Mermaid's effect activates, and I gain 800 Life Points during the Standby Phase!" The mermaid began to croon sweetly, and a beautiful tune began to echo across the field as Martin was surrounded by a pink aura that began to heal him.

"Wow... It's beautiful..." Crow said dreamily.

"Yeah..." The silver haired girl agreed, almost dancing along. "I wish this song could go on forever..." Those witnessing the duel seemed to agree, as they nodded their heads to the tune. Even the monsters on the field seemed to be swaying to the tune, completely hypnotized.

 **Martin: 2100LP**

 **Lysandra: 3000LP**

"Now, I'll sacrifice my Cure Mermaid-"

"AWWWW!" Everyone groaned in disappointment.

"-to summon my Levia-Dragon Daedalus!" Martin finished.

"OOH!" Everyone perked up at that. With a mighty roar, the legendary sea serpent took the field, coiling itself up like a spring. **Levia-Dragon Daedalus(7/2600/1500)-(6/2800/1700)**

"Now, my Levia-Dragon's effect activates! By offering up A Legendary Ocean..." The water began to drain from the battlefield, as it was absorbed by the titanic water monster. "He destroys every card on the field! Go, Daedalus! Riptide Rampage!" The water then shot out in all directions, impaling every single card on the field. **Levia-Dragon Daedalus(6/2800/1700)-** **(7/2600/1500)** "Now, Daedalus! Attack her directly with Roar of Poseidon!" The mighty serpent roared in acknowledgement, before firing off a devastating beam of energy from its maw.

 **Martin: 2100LP**

 **Lysandra: 400LP**

"Noooooooo! How could I, Lysandra Belladonna, an elite, be losing to a commoner like you?" Lysandra exclaimed dramatically. _"Foolish fool! Now that you have your ultimate monster on the field, you've set yourself up for your ultimate demise!"_ "I draw... oh, dear! I guess I'll just have to set one card facedown, and summon my poor Prickle Fairy in Defense Mode..." From the dirt arose a green-skinned woman with blonde hair and thorny tentacles for arms, dressed in lavish pinks and purples. Upon seeing the titanic beast on Martin's side of the field, she quickly hid herself within a large flower, which closed in on her. **Prickle Fairy(4/300/2000)** "Now then, I activate the magic card Insect Barrier!" Suddenly, a criss-crossing barrier appeared on her side of the field, sparking with electricity.

"What's _that_ supposed to do?" Martin asked.

"Let me spell out the obvious for you, chum for brains!" Lysandra sneered. "Because of this Insect Barrier card, any and all of your Insect monsters are forbidden from attacking! Gihihihihi!"

Martin scratched his head in confusion. "Wait, so how does that affect me? I don't _have_ any Insect monsters!"

"You just let me worry about that, Ra Reject! I end my turn!"

 _"Something's not right here... that's obvious enough. However, I can't exactly tell what it is. I guess I just have to test the waters."_ "I summon Gagagigo in Attack Mode!" A green lizard-human slithered onto the field and punched its fists together in anticipation. **Gagagigo(4/1850/1000)** "Now, I'll attack once more with Daedalus! Hit that Fairy with another Roar of Posideon!" The beast roared in acknowledgement, before firing off a second stream of energy from its mouth.

"Now for part two of my plan! I activate DNA Surgery!" One of Lysandra's facedown cards revealed itself. Suddenly, all the monsters on Martin's side of the field began to glow, before growing insect parts such as extra limbs and mandibles. The same happened to the Prickle Fairy.

Martin stepped back in horror. "Oh, no!"

"Oh, _yes_ _!_ Now I can change all face-up monsters on the field to one type of my choosing, and guess what? I choose Insect!" Just before the beam made contact with the Prickle Fairy, the shield glowed brightly, and the beam of destruction was cancelled out.

Martin growled angrily, realizing that he'd been set up. "Grr... I end my turn."

"Now, it's my turn! I summon Cross-Sword Beetle in attack mode!" A beetle the size of a large cow took the field, clacking its pincers together menacingly. **Cross-Sword Beetle(4/1800/1200)** "I end my turn."

"I draw." Martin scanned his hand, desperate to find something that could get him out of this bind. "...I set Gagagigo in defense mode end my turn," he concluded sadly.

"Finally realizing how outmatched you are? Fine by me! I draw!" Lysandra smirked evilly as she saw the card she had picked. "Now, I'll sacrifice my Prickle Fairy to summon the lovely Insect Princess!" As the flower evaporated into thin air, a faint giggling could be heard, making Martin jump. He looked around him, trying to find the source of the sound. His answer soon arrived in the form of a green humanoid with butterfly wings touching gracefully down onto the ground. **Insect Princess(5/1900/1200)** At the arrival of the creature, Gagagigo suddenly took an attack stance.

"What? Gagagigo was in Defense Mode before!" Martin cried out in shock.

"Don't you know anything, fool? Insect Princess's effect forces any and all Insect Monsters into Attack Position due to her pheromones!" It was true. If one looked closely, they could see a strange pink mist emanating from the Princess's body. And thanks to my DNA Surgery card, you can't defend! Now, oh mighty Insect Princess! Tear his stupid green lizard apart!" The royal insect smiled wickedly, before swiftly flying over to Gagagigo with her maw open wide. Before the lizard-man could even react, Insect Princess had already clamped her teeth around his throat, crushing it. "Now, my Insect Princess's second effect activates! For every Insect Monster she kills, she feeds upon them, growing stronger and stronger for each one she kills! Gihihihi! Now feast, oh lovely Princess!" The princess began to tear apart the fallen Gagagigo's hide with her four hands, stuffing what she could within her mouth. As she did so, she began to glow a sickly green color, and she seemed to be growing in size. **Insect Princess(5/1900/1200)-(5/2400/1200)** "I end my turn."

 **Martin: 2050LP**

 **Lysandra: 400LP**

"That is just sick, lady! Sick and wrong!" Crow moaned in disgust. The silver-haired girl next to him didn't speak, too preoccupied with trying not to hurl at the grisly scene.

"I think I'm gonna hurl..." Martin groaned as he saw the savage insectoid tear into Gagagigo. _"Disgusting monster aside, this is bad! All I can do is try and build up walls to block her assault!"_ "It's my turn! I summon Mother Grizzly!" A third giant blue bear, now with an extra set of arms and mandibles, took the field. "I... end my turn."

"You really are just a cocky fool! Allow me, Lysandra Belladonna, to crush your last vestiges of hope! I activate Insect Armor with Laser Cannon! Boosting Insect Princess's Attack by 700!" Suddenly, the Insect Princess began to glow, before a menacing looking chest plate appeared on her body, and a large cannon was strapped to her back. **Insect Princess(5/2400/1200)-(5/3100/1200)** "Now, Insect Princess! Destroy Levia-Dragon Daedalus with Bug Blitz Shot!" Insect Princess got down on all fours, er, sixes, before firing off a laser blast at the giant monster, blowing it to pieces. The Insect Princess then began to feast upon her new meal. **Insect Princess(5/3100/1200)-(5/3600/1200)**

"Gaagh!" Martin hissed in pain, holding his Duel Disk in front of his face to shield him from the brunt of the blow.

"There goes Martin's best card!" Crow cried out in panic.

 **Martin: 1550LP**

 **Lysandra: 400LP**

"Now, Cross-Sword Beetle, crush his Grizzly with Pincer Blow!" The brown insect jumped high in the air, before clamping down its jaws on the bear, cutting it into four pieces, cutting down Martin's Life Points even further.

 **Martin: 1250LP**

 **Lysandra: 400LP**

"Now, Mother Grizzly's effect activates, and now I'll summon Mermaid Archer from my hand!" A beautiful blue-haired woman armed with a crossbow and perched on a turtle's shell arrived on the field, taking aim directly at Lysandra. She now had an extra pair of arms thanks to the DNA Surgery card. **Mermaid Archer(3/1200/200)**

"Feh! How pathetic. I end my turn." Lysandra smiled to herself, assured in her victory.

 _"I'm screwed..."_ Martin thought to himself. _"I don't have any cards strong enough to take on that Princess of hers, and because of that effect of hers, I can't stall anymore! I'm out of tricks..."_ Martin solemnly laid a hand on his deck, before feeling a familiar cold sensation. He hesitantly drew his card, and looked at his new hand addition. Martin allowed himself a smile. _"Well, old buddy, it's good to see you here. You're just the card I need to squash these bugs."_ "Well, Lysandra, it's been fun dueling you, but now you're all washed up!"

"What?!" Lysandra snarled. Where was this newfound bravado coming from?! "How?!"

"Because thanks to this new card I drew, I'm gonna end this right here and now! I'm kinda disappointed that I wasn't able to bring him forth in my Academy debut, but I guess now's a good a time as any! I sacrifice my Mermaid Archer to bring forth my good friend, Mobius the Frost Monarch!" Suddenly, the battlefield took on a deathly chill as Mermaid Archer was enveloped within a shell of ice. Small cracks began to form along the surface of the shell, before it finally exploded in a shower of ice shards, revealing an entirely new monster. There stood a powerful figure encased in pure white armor, a cape of blue billowing behind it majestically. It stared down its opponents defiantly, arms crossed in front of its chest. **Mobius the Frost Monarch(6/2400/1000)**

"A Monarch card..." The silver-haired girl said in awe.

"What? I don't get it, what's so special about it?"

"You'll see," she responded cryptically. _"That's another rare card he has in his deck, and a powerful one at that. Just how powerful is this boy?"_

"What? _That's_ the card that's going to save you?!" Lysandra guffawed. "How? It's not like it stands a chance against my mighty Insect Deck!" She stuck out her arm, slicing the air in front of her. "Observe as it too becomes an Insect! Gihihihi!"

However, instead of turning into an Insect, Mobius merely stuck out both of its arms, his palms glowing with unnaturally cold energy, before two beams of ice shot out of his hands, freezing the DNA Surgery and Insect Barrier cards solid, before they shattered into pieces.

"Gihi?! What trickery is this?!" Lysandra shrieked as she stepped back in horror.

"What? I thought an elite such as yourself would know about a card like Mobius here!" Martin gasped in mock surprise. "However, since I'm feeling generous today, I'll explain it to you, so listen closely! When I Tribute Summon Mobius, his effect allows him to target up to two Spell or Trap Cards on the field, and he destroys them! Neat, isn't it?"

"Alright!" Crow pumped his fists eagerly. "Now with those cards out of the way, Martin's out of that lockdown, meaning that he's free to attack as he pleases!

"Grr... It doesn't matter! My Insect Princess still dwarfs your puny Monarch's power by a factor of 1200!" The green-haired girl pointed out. It was true, Mobius still was too weak to destroy the royal insect.

"That's true," Martin chuckled. "But who said I was targeting your Princess?"

"WHAT?!" Everyone cried out.

"I have a much easier target to take out!" Martin pointed dramatically at the other insect left on the field: Cross-Sword Beetle.

"NO!" Lysandra screeched.

"YES! Now, Mobius, destroy Cross-Sword Beetle with Glacier Crush!" Within a single bound, the armored figure appeared in front of the beetle, his hand glowing with the same familiar energy as earlier, before grabbing the unfortunate insect, freezing it alive. Then, with a quick clench of its mighty grip, the beetle shattered into pieces.

 **Martin: 1250LP**

 **Lysandra: 0000LP**

Soon, the holograms faded away, leaving nothing but two duelists and a wildly applauding audience.

"Did you _see_ that?"

"That was one hell of a comeback!"

"Can't believe I lost ten bucks..."

"Thank you, thank you! You've been a wonderful audience!" Martin showboated, before turning back to the previously haughty girl. "Not bad for not being one of 'the elite,' eh?" He taunted.

"No..." the girl hissed under her breath as she quaked with absolute fury. "NO!" Suddenly, she pointed her finger at Martin in pure unadulterated rage. "YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST OF ME! I, LYSANDRA BELLADONNA, SWEAR THAT THE NEXT TIME WE MEET, I SHALL DEFEAT YOU!" With that, she turned on her heel, leaving the crowd as she was tailed by her two flunkies.

Martin rubbed the back of his head and smirked as the crowd dispersed. "Some people just can't take a loss well." Martin turned to the silver-haired girl. "You okay?"

The girl nodded shyly. "W-why did you help me?" She queried. "You don't even know me. You didn't even know what you were getting yourself into when you challenged that girl."

Martin smiled proudly. "What can I say? I just have this... instinct."

"Instinct?"

"I just can't help myself. When I see someone in a bad spot, I jump in and help. I can't help myself, honestly. And as for knowing you?" Martin stuck out his hand, his smile widening. "Let's fix that. My name's Martin. What's yours?"

The girl hesitantly shook his hand. "M-my name's Jeanne. Jeanne Adrianne. I honestly don't know how to thank you for standing up for me back there."

"Aw, it's no problem!" Crow interrupted. "We were happy to help!"

"What's this 'we' business, Crow?" Martin snarked. "If I recall correctly, I did all the work."

"But I made a good cheerleader, did I not?" Crow said, batting his eyelashes.

"Yeah. I'll be sure to get you some pom-poms for next time." Martin replied dryly.

"I think I can get a girl's uniform for him!" Jeanne piped up, joining in on the teasing.

"Bah! The both of you! Unappreciative of my work!" Crow cried out dramatically, feigning being insulted. At that, the other two just laughed at their friend.

* * *

"Razzinfrazzingoddamnmotherfu-" Professor Dorain screamed at no one in particular as she paced around the teacher's lounge angrily. She had been there for quite some time, ranting angrily in a vain attempt to destress. The mug she had clenched in her grip was dangerously close to shattering. "That boy..." she snarled as she remembered the cocky smile he wore as he dueled her. How he summoned that damned sea serpent, humiliating her in front of an entire audience of students and faculty alike. "I'm going to-"

"-do nothing," a voice from behind her finished.

Professor Dorain turned around in anger. The one who spoke was a woman wearing a similar jacket to hers, albiet in red. She had long brown hair that went all the way down to the small of her back and on her face was a small pair of round spectacles that put her fearful eyes on display. "What do you want, Kitamori?!" Dorain hissed. "I'm in no mood for small talk."

The brunette woman held up her hands in defense. "I'm sorry! I just wanted to prevent you from doing anything rash!"

"What?"

"I-i know that you can get tunnel vision when you get worked up like this, so-"

"Worked up?" Dorain yelled angrily. "Who's worked up?! I'm perfectly calm!" As if to prove her wrong right then and there, the mug finally shattered in her tense grip, and she cut her hand on the ceramic, staining her yellow blazer with coffee. "Son of a-" Dorain hissed as she clutched her hand in pain.

The woman in red shook her head in pity. "This is what I was talking about..." she tsked. She opened a nearby drawer and pulled out a roll of bandages and antiseptic before applying it to her colleague's hand. "You get yourself worked up over the littlest things, and then you end up making the situation worse for you because of your temper. You're already in trouble because of that boy-"

"Wait, what do you mean 'trouble?'" Dorain said as she tilted her head in confusion.

Ms. Kitamori winced. "I wasn't supposed to mention anything," she replied as she hastily finished up wrapping Dorain's hand. "Just forget what I said, Sarah. It's almost time for the welcome dinners, and we both have to get to our dorms quickly." With that, she dashed out of the room, leaving the head of the Ra Yellow Girls Dorm to contemplate the words that were exchanged.

* * *

"So this is Ra Yellow, eh?" Martin said as he sized up the building. It was decently sized, not really that big or small. It was mostly a yellow color, with small hints of white as an accent. Defending the gates to the dorms was a large statue of the Class's Guardian Egyptian God, The Winged Dragon of Ra. "I can dig it."

"Yeah! I can see myself getting used to this place if it looks as good on the inside as it does the outside!" Crow concurred

"I just hope Obelisk Blue is as half as nice as this place is," Jeanne nodded.

"Well, I'm glad you folks think so!" A voice from behind them boomed merrily, causing the three to jump. The trio turned to face the source of the voice, a mountain of a man with a magnificent white beard and skin that looked like it had endured some great trials in life. He wore a more formal version of the blazers that Crow and Martin wore, along with a large toothy grin that was plastered across his face. "Welcome to Ra, friends! My name is Professor Sylvan, and I'm the head of the Ra Yellow Boys Dorm!" He chuckled as he turned to Martin and Crow. "Now, if I'm correct, you two are with me! Come on, I'll take your luggage!" Without giving either of the two a chance to object, he hefted their bags over his giant shoulders, before walking into the building, whistling a merry tune.

The Ra Yellow boys turned to the Obelisk Blue girl. "I guess this is goodbye for now," Martin said, beaming.

"Yeah..." Jeanne said sadly. "For now. You'll meet up with me tomorrow, right?" she said hopefully.

"That's the spirit! Of course we will! That's what friends are for!"

Jeanne nodded eagerly. "Thank you! I'll hold you to that promise!" With that, she turned and skipped away from the two boys.

Crow turned to Martin, beaming. "Shall we head inside, my good man?" He offered Martin his elbow.

"Well shall, Mr. Thompson." The two linked arms and walked into the Ra Yellow Dorms, grinning like a pair of idiots.

* * *

A/N: It seems that our heroes have made both an ally and an enemy! How will this effect their life at Duel Academy? Who knows!


	3. Welcome to Ra!

A/N: *peeks back in* Hey, guys... Ehe... sorry I haven't updated this fic in... *checks calendar* ehe, several months... I moved into college in August, and the first semester has been crazy as hell, so I didn't really have time to write chapters. However, I'm back! And here's Chapter 3! And it... has no duels. But don't worry! I plan on uploading Chapter 4 pretty soon! ...I hope. So, enjoy!

Shout Outs:

MadeInNowhere: I'm glad that Martin's coming into his own identity in the eyes of my readers. Also, don't worry, Crow's gonna make his duel debut all too soon.

* * *

As Crow and Martin ambled into their new home, they came across a familiar face.

"Ah, boys!" Professor Sylvan boomed jollily. "I officially welcome you two to the Ra Yellow dorms!" He held up a set of keys, jangling them like a parent would in front of a child. "I took the liberty of putting your luggage in your room. You two happen to be in the same room, oddly enough. It's #207, up the stairs and down the right hallway." He tossed the keys to the boys, who caught them. "I'll see you boys in a few minutes for the mandatory welcome banquet. I have to find Sarah..." He muttered the last part to himself, before striding away from the pair.

The pair stood there for a while, staring at the keys as if they were holy relics forged by Ra himself. They turned towards each other, both sharing the exact same thought. "I call top bunk!" The two narrowed their eyes, and in an instant, two new friends became the worst of enemies. The pair quickly dashed up the stairs, keeping pace with each other easily. Martin managed to get his key in the doorknob first, and twisted. Having caught up with his friend, Crow refused to be left behind. The redhead leaped into the air, landing on top of Martin. He laid his hand upon the doorknob, and the pair tore the door open.

Almost immediately, the pair felt faint at the sight they saw. "You gotta be kidding me..." Crow whined.

"The beds are separated?!" Martin groaned.

"Aaagh..." the boys, tired from their bout, fell over and face faulted.

* * *

Eventually, after much moaning and depression, the two finally got over the tragedy that was no bunk beds, and had set up their rooms proper. Crow's half of the room held several movie posters, and several action figures lay on top of the closet. His clothes were casually placed in without rhyme or reason. Meanwhile, Martin's half was comparatively more boring, but far cleaner. Only one poster was hanging over his desk, with the famed pro duelist Mako Tsunami staring down confidently. A fishing rod and a tackle box was occupying a small corner of the room. As for the boys themselves, they were engaged in, what else? Card games.

Martin looked at his hand, before narrowing his eyes at Crow. The glasses-wearing boy had proven to be a formidable opponent indeed. This next move could mean the difference between a glorious victory and a humiliating defeat.

"...got any kings?"

"Sorry, buddy. Go Fish."

"DAMNIT!" Martin grumbled in frustration as he drew another card from the deck. He sent a glare Crow's way. "I _swear_ you're lying about your cards!"

Crow sent Martin a trollish grin. "Hey, not my fault you're having bad luck this game."

"Rrrgh..."

The game was interrupted however, as there was a knock on the door. Martin set down his cards, flashing one final look Crow's way, before opening the door.

"Hello boys!" Professor Sylvan cried out jollily.

"Oh, hey, Professor," Martin replied. "Is anything wrong?"

As the two left the room, Martin took a peek at Crow's cards when Crow wasn't looking. "I KNEW IT!" He began to chase after Crow, who quickly picked up the pace, laughing as he did so. "GET BACK HERE, YOU LIAR!"

* * *

The Ra Yellow dining hall was styled much like your average dining hall you'd see in a college. Tables were neat and aligned orderly in rows, and booths in the back, though blocked off for the ceremony, curved around the entire cafeteria. The tables were covered in fine tablecloth, and along the tables, a veritable smorgasbord of food lay. Finely decorated pasta, well-done barbecue, perfectly grilled fish, and so much more were offered to the students, who were happily digging in to the feast.

Suddenly, the din was interrupted by the clinking of a fork against a champagne glass.

Almost instantly, every student stopped what they were doing, turning their heads to the source of the noise.

Sylvan put down his glass and silverware, keeping the beaming grin on his face. "Good evening, everyone. Welcome to your first night in Ra Yellow. I hope the food is to your liking?"

The muffled sound of some students with their mouths full signaled a resounding 'yes.'

"Well, good! But for now, I'd like you all to stop eating for a bit as the annual welcome speech is presented my esteemed colleague, Sarah Dorain." Sylvan took a bow, before stepping backwards as the light applause began.

"Dorain... where have I heard that name before?" Martin wondered aloud, tapping his finger to his head.

Crow began poking Martin's shoulder. "Uhh... Martin...?"

"Crow, stop, I'm thinking!" Martin said as he waved Crow's hand away.

"Martin, look at the stage..."

"What do you mean-" Martin suddenly cut his sentence short as he looked toward the figure that was taking the podium. "Oh boy..." Walking towards the podium was a familiar blonde sunglasses-wearing teacher. Her eyes were just as stern as they were when Martin dueled her in the entrance exams.

As Dorain took the podium, ready to give a speech she had given for five years now, she locked eyes with the black-haired boy, and the two paused as they shared the exact same thought.

 _"Well, shit."  
_

Quickly, Dorain scrambled backstage, grabbing Sylvan on the way, leaving the students sitting there awkwardly, wondering if they should start eating again or not.

* * *

"WHAT IS HE DOING HERE, SYLVAN?!" The female Ra teacher screeched, shaking her colleague by his coat.

"I! Don't! Know! What! You're! Talk! Ing! A! Bout! Sa! Rah! So! Please! Stop! Sha! King! Me!" Sylvan, now extremely discombobulated, managed to get out.

Sarah let out an angered sigh, before finally complying, much to Sylvan's relief.

"Now... what exactly is the problem, Sarah?" The bearded man grabbed her by the shoulders, going into full counselor mode.

"My problem is HIM!" Sarah shout-whispered, grabbing Sylvan by the collar and pointing to Martin from behind the curtain.

Sylvan tilted his head, confused. "The Fisher boy? What's the problem?"

Professor Dorain facepalmed. "The problem _is that the boy was the one who humiliated me!_ He made me look like a complete fool in front of the entire student body! _That_ is my problem!"

Sylvan nodded his head, realizing what her colleague was so upset about. Once again, he put his hands on her shoulders. "Look, Sarah. I know that you're upset about losing to a student-"

"A FRESHMAN!"

"-with your main deck, but don't you think that you have something to apologize about?"

"What do you mean?!"

"Sarah," Sylvan said sternly. "He was just a boy. Wide eyed, and ready to face this new university. Now, I don't know _what_ happened this time around, but knowing you, this was an overreaction, like always."

"I do not overreact-!" a knowing glance from Sylvan shut her up. "...that much."

"Anyways, whatever reason you have to be mad at him, you need to act like an adult about this. Remember, you were chosen as a teacher at this institution for a reason. It's time you prove to everyone what that reason is.

* * *

Professor Dorain looked out among the sea of students in front of her, and took in a deep breath. Then, she spoke.

"Welcome, all of you, to Ra Yellow. I apologize for that... mild outburst from earlier. However, I have returned. And what a fantastic group of students have I returned to. Ra Yellow has always been the forgotten dorm. We're not as rich or fancy as the Obelisks, anyone can see that. And, unlike the Slifers, people aren't rooting for us as the underdogs."

Several students began to chuckle at that little jab, but were quietly hushed by Sylvan.

"But still, Ra Yellow is an esteemed place to be. While most people see Ra as just 'okay,' I see it as untapped potential. Each and everyone in this room has already proven themselves to be great. Some..." Dorain looked directly at Martin. "Some have proven themselves to be beyond most people. It's our job as teachers to push you even further." She took in another breath. "When I was around your age, I didn't have that same opportunity. Duel Monsters was just getting off the ground. As each duel came and went, I felt that I was simply a waste. That I was unable to make it in life. I refuse to let my students go through the same. We all refuse. We are here for you all to help prove that you are not wasted potential. That you are well and truly the greatest investment this Academy has made."

Professor Dorain picked up her champagne glass and raised it high. "To Ra!"

Slowly but surely, every student stood up and raised their glasses proudly, each bearing the color of the famed legendary bird.

"TO RA!"

* * *

A/N: And so ends the first day of Duel Academy for our heroes. What shenanigans will they get into next time? Find out when we return to Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: Surging Tides!

P.S.: Sorry if I seem a bit rusty.


	4. Rise of the Machines

**A/N:** As promised, here's Chapter 4! And Crow makes his dueling debut!

 **Shout-Outs:**

MadeInNowhere: Thanks man. Hopefully I can still update semi-regularly. ...hopefully.

Flutter Night: Thanks! Umi decks are some of ym favorites, so I had to make my main character use one.

1955hzq: Lysandra's more Weevil than Chazz, really.

* * *

"And that's just one of many examples of a basic lockdown," Professor Dorain spoke. "Now, we only have a few minutes left in class, so if you would look at what we have for tomorrow's homework, the practice duels in your textbook have examples of these types of lockdowns. I expect you to be able to solve these problems. We'll be going over them in class."

Just as she finished that sentence, the bell rung. Every student practically bolted out of class.

Martin quickly put the finishing touches on his notes, before leaning back and sighing. "Man, that was a tough class..."

"Yes... there's so many different combinations to remember for this class," Jeanne sighed from Martin's left. "I don't know how we're supposed to remember all of them.

"Really?" A voice said cockily from beside the two. "I thought it was easy."

Martin turned his head toward Crow, before looking down on his own notebook. "Crow... you didn't write a single thing down."

"Don't need to," Crow bragged. "I got this one in the bag."

Both Martin and Jeanne gave Crow a suspicious look. One that did not go unnoticed by the bespectacled Ra, who pouted at their doubting of him.

"Just trust me on this one, okay?" Crow asked.

Martin rolled his eyes. "Alright..."

"Thanks. Now, let's get outta here, I hate being in class for longer than I need to."

* * *

The trio of friends eventually found a place under a large tree, and were currently laying down there, relaxing.

"Man, this is a nice spot!" Martin sighed happily.

"I know, it's so comfortable!" Jeanne agreed. "I could lay here all day."

"Man, this spot feels weird!" Crow complained as he tossed and turned around.

The two other students slowly got up and looked at him oddly. "What are you talking about?"

Crow grunted as he continued to fidget. "I dunno... I think I accidentally lied down on something." Crow reached under his back, before pulling out a small brown journal. "What the hell?"

"Looks like a journal of some kind," Jeanne observed.

"Thank you Jeanne, you're a fountain of wisdom as always," Crow sarcastically remarked as he opened the book.

"Crow, what are you doing? That's not yours!" Martin pointed out.

"Dude, it's a mystery book, of course I'm gonna read what's inside!" Crow retorted. "C'mon, don't tell me you guys aren't a bit curious about what's inside this thing?"

Martin bit his lip, a bit concerned about the invasion of privacy, before caving, with Jeanne doing the same, and they quickly joined Crow in peeking inside the book.

"By the God Cards..." Martin began.

"I can't believe it..." Jeanne continued.

"This is..." Crow finished.

The trio sweatdropped.

 _"...a joke book?!"_ judging from the looks on the trio's faces, the jokes inside were... not good, either.

"Puns?! All that buildup, and it's a bunch of _puns_?!" Jeanne practically screamed.

"Oh, so _that's_ where I dropped it!" A voice interrupted, causing everyone's thoughts to derail from the contents of the book. A green haired girl with long flowing hair and clad in a yellow Ra uniform had walked over to the group while they were reading. "Thanks for picking it up for me!"

"So... this is your book?" Martin said slowly, not knowing exactly what to say.

"You betcha!" She boasted. "The name's Aurai. Aurai Shinatobe." She grabbed Martin's hand and shook it eagerly, before doing the same to Jeanne. "I'm a big fan of comedy, so I've been writing jokes in that book for a few years! I think I've gotten pretty good!"

Both Martin and Jeanne exchanged a look, neither of them willing to speak the truth about the book.

Fortunately, the green haired girl didn't notice either of their faces as she sidled up to Crow, who was quietly leafing through the journal. "It seems I've found a fan! Tell me, what do you think of the jokes, I think I did a pretty good job with the one about airplanes-"

Crow slammed the book shut, before turning towards Aurai. "It stinks," he said bluntly.

The green-haired girl's jaw practically hit the ground. "WHAT?!"

"I mean, really?" He tapped the book with a finger. "Every single joke in here has been done before, and much better by much funnier people, no less." Crow turned to the girl and shook his head. "Your comedy stinks," he finished flatly.

"What are you talking about, you jerk?!" Aurai screeched in complete and utter rage. She jabbed a finger right in Crow's face. "My jokes are amazing! You wouldn't know good comedy if it bit you in your big fat face!"

Crow waved the book back in her face. "This book of yours disagrees!"

"OH YEAH?!"

"YEAH!"

The two Ra students were practically nose to nose at this point, growling like mad dogs. If something wasn't done quick, this could end badly. Realizing this, Martin quickly stepped in between the two of them.

"Hey, hey!" Martin commanded, causing the two duelists to snap their heads towards him. "Look, I get it. Both of you are mad, but let's _not_ settle this in a way that could get both of you hurt."

"What are you suggesting?" Crow demanded.

"Settle this in a duel. The winner apologizes to the loser, okay?"

Both Ra students exchanged a look, before nodding.

"Let's duel!"

* * *

The group made their way to a small field, flat and open enough for a duel to commence.

"I guess I'll serve as referee," Martin sighed as Jeanne stepped back, positioning herself out of the way of the field.

"Ready to get your butt handed to you, jerk?" Aurai snarled.

"Please, I am the butt kicker, not the butt kickee," Crow replied cooly.

 **Crow: 4000LP**

 **Aurai: 4000LP**

"Ladies first," Crow bowed.

"After you," Aurai replied.

"Oho! That's the first thing resembling a joke that you've said so far! Fine then, I'll start off by summoning Robotic Knight in Attack Mode! A French-styled mechanical swordsman took to the field, its entire body making grinding noises as it moved. **Robotic Knight(4/1600/1800)**

"So he uses machines, huh?" Martin thought aloud. "Funny, I kinda thought he'd use Winged Beasts."

"Is it because his name is 'Crow?'" Jeanne giggled.

"Ehehe..." Martin could only rub the back of his head sheepishly.

"Next, I'll activate the spell card Wave-Motion Cannon!" A steampunk style cannon rolled in onto Crow's side of the field. "I set one card facedown and end my turn."

"Hah! I'm not scared of your weird machines!" Aurai boasted. "I draw! I'll summon Harpie Lady #1 in Attack Mode!" On the field, the iconic red-haired Harpie flew onto the field. **Harpie Lady #1(4/1300/1400)-(4/1600/1400)** "And thanks to her special effect, all Winged Beasts gain 300 Attack Points!"

"Oh, how intimidating," Crow snarked. "You plan to kamikaze your monster?"

"Not even close, jerk! I activate Elegant Egotist!" A strange circle appeared in front of the redheaded bird woman, who flew through. "Now watch as one Harpie Lady..." "Becomes three!" **Harpie Lady Sisters(6/1950/2100)-(6/2150/2100)**

"Oh boy..."

"Now, Harpie Lady Sisters!" The trio of terror snickered mischievously as they got into a triangular formation. "Triangle Ecstasy Spark!" Arcane symbols began to float in the air between the trio, before a massive beam of energy shot out, vaporising the Robotic Knight.

 **Crow: 3450LP**

 **Aurai: 4000LP**

"Now, Harpie Lady #1! Scratch Slash!" The bird woman screeched out, before diving straight down like a hawk, clawing Crow's duel disk.

 **Crow: 1850LP**

 **Aurai: 4000LP**

"Not good," Martin groaned. "He's already behind by a lot of points, and this is only the second turn."

"Let's see if he can turn this around," Jeanne prayed.

"My draw!" A Roman Numeral I appeared above the Wave-Motion Cannon "First off, I'm gonna play Dian Keto, the Cure Master!"

 **Crow: 2850LP**

 **Aurai: 4000LP**

"Finally, I'll set one monster facedown, and end my turn."

"My draw! I'll summon Harpie Lady #3 in Attack Mode!" A second blue-haired Harpie took the field, screeching in joy. **Harpie Lady #3(4/1300/1400)-(4/1600/1400)** "Now, Harpie Lady#1! Attack!" The bird woman cried out like a falcon, before swooping down and slashing with her talons.

The card revealed itself as an orange-haired maiden. As the Harpie cut her down, suddenly, the other monsters, fell down, cartoon storm clouds forming over their heads as they fell into a small depression.

"What the-"

"-The Unhappy Maiden," Crow said smugly. "Whenever she's destroyed, the Battle Phase ends."

"RRRRRGH! Quit stalling!"

"What can I say? It's my specialty."

"It's true," Martin realized as he began put Crow's deck together. "It's just like in class! Dian Keto the Cure Master, Wave-Motion Cannon, Unhappy Maiden, these cards are all centered around stalling the duel while taking all sorts of cheap shots at their opponent."

"And yet, Crow hasn't made a single attack yet," Jeanne pointed out.

"I have a feeling that's about to change soon, Jeanne."

"My draw!" Crow smirked as a Roman Numeral II appeared over his machine. "Time to end this! Let's go, Drillago!" A strange-looking machine, covered entirely in drills, took the field, before grinding its drills together menacingly. **Drillago(4/1600/1000)**

"Hah! Now who's planning on suiciding their monster?!"

"Not me! Drillago, attack! Drill Force Charge!" The monster's drills began to spin, before it rocketed forward, jetting towards Aurai.

"What? Are you crazy?!"

"Nope!" Drillago zoomed past the Harpies, who weren't able to catch it in time. "Drillago's got a pretty neat effect! When my opponent's monsters all have Attack Points of 1600 or more, it can attack directly!"

"What?!"

"Yep! Pretty handy, don't you think?"

"Rrgh… Not so fast!" From Aurai's field, a very familiar trap card flipped up. "I activate my facedown card, Mirror Force!"

Crow's smile grew wider. "Perfect."

"What?!" Suddenly, a large shell of electrical energy began to form in front of Crow. The electricity clashed with the energy from the shield, before the shield began to be pushed back.

"Thanks to you activating a trap card, I can now special summon one Level 6 Dark-Type Machine from my deck!"

"That's... oddly specific," Martin thought aloud. "Wait a minute... Level 6..."

"Dark-Type Machine..." Jeanne continued.

Both turned to each other in realization. "Wait, he's gonna summon-"

"Come forth, JINZO!" The shell broke, and in its place stood an imposing machine clad in a green and black spiky leather tunic. Its face was pink and fleshy, pulsing grotesquely, and its eyes were covered by red-tinted glass, much like its user, and its mouth was obscured by a demonic-looking mask. Its arms were crossed in front of its chest, looking down on its opponents with a cold robotic stare. **Jinzo(6/2400/1500)**

"Wow... a Jinzo card," Martin whistled in awe.

"Definitely a powerful card," Jeanne observed in surprise. "I certainly didn't expect him to have one in his deck!"

"Now with Jinzo's ability, I can get rid of any traps you have!" With a flash of red from Jinzo's eyes, it shot out a red beam, enveloping the facedowns on Aurai's field with a red energy, rendering them useless.

"No! My Mirror Force card!"

"And now, Drillago can continue its attack unhindered! Drill Force Charge!" The machine charged forward, before stabbing Aurai straight in the middle of her chest with its drill.

 **Crow: 2850LP**

 **Aurai: 2400LP**

"Next up, it's Jinzo's turn! Attack Harpie Lady #1 with Cyber Energy Shock!" In its hands, Jinzo formed a large ball of dark energy, before throwing it at the redheaded Harpie, who shrieked in horror as she was disintegrated.

 **Crow: 2850LP**

 **Aurai: 1600LP**

"Now your monsters are weakened, not that it matters, of course!" **Harpie Lady #3(4/1600/1400)-(4/1300/1400) Harpie Lady Sisters(6/2150/2100)-(6/1950/2100)**

"Grr… I can still turn this around!" Aurai replied angrily.

"Yeah… no. I activate Wave-Motion Cannon's effect!" The steampunk device began to splutter and spark as it glowed with a powerful energy.

"Wh-what's happening?!"

"I'll tell ya what! Because of my Cannon's effect, I can send it to the graveyard during a Main Phase, and then, it inflicts 1000 points of damage for each standby phase that it's been on the field!"

"Wait, one, two… OH CRAP!"

The cannon suddenly blasted a energy blast at Aurai, hitting her full force and ending the duel.

 **Crow: 2850LP**

 **Aurai: 0000LP**

"Noooooo…" Aurai wept out, falling to her knees sadly as the holograms faded.

"And that's game!" Crow boasted, turning to his friends and bowing.

"Yeah… when you pulled out Jinzo, I knew that I was trapped," she groaned lamely.

"Pfft…" Crow's body began to shake slightly.

"What, are you gonna make fun of my jokes again?" Aurai pouted.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Crow howled out. "Th-that's actually p-pretty good!"

Aurai's eyes began to shine hopefully. "Y-you really think so?"

"Yeah, that's hilarious!"

As the two began to chatter excitedly between each other, Martin and Jeanne sweatdropped.

"Just looking at them, you wouldn't think they were at each other's throats a few seconds ago…" Martin sighed in bemusement.

"Birds of a feather really do flock together…" Jeanne groaned.

"Um… Jeanne?"

She immediately covered her mouth with her hands, realizing what she had just said.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

 **A/N:** And here we have Crow's debut duel! Sorry it's not as long as the others. With Crow's deck, duels tend to get pretty long, or pretty short.


	5. The Ritual Master

A/N: Ok, that's it. No more promises on next chapters. I obviously can't keep them. Special thanks to 300IQPrower for helping me out. Kon is his character. I do not own him.

Shout-Outs:

Flutter Night: Jinzo needs more love. Besides Joey, only antagonists have used him.

Legionstone: Yeah, the thing about Crow? He doesn't mince words. If he thinks something stinks, he won't soften the blow. I can understand why he can come across as grating to some people, but that's the point of his character. He's a smartass, sort of as a foil to Martin and Jeanne. I guess I assumed this had somewhat been shown beforehand with his interaction with Martin.

Prower Note:

Legionstone: Co-writer here, and I get why you'd think that. Crow is not the type to make a good first impression, he's basically that sarcastic jerk who you put up with cause he makes good points. By the end of this story he will have mocked literally every single character, I guarantee it. He just never takes things too far. He's a jerk, not an asshole. Oh and PS. In this chapter you'll meet my first character to appear, who most certainly IS an asshole.

* * *

"Ahh…" Martin sighed contentedly. "Finally, class dismissed…"

"I know right?" Crow groaned. "God cards, I think I'm gonna need a cane from hunching over my notes so much."

"Yeah 'notes,'" Martin scoffed. "You were too busy playing Pokemon and you know it."

"Hey, come on, man! I was on a roll! I couldn't just stop right before beating Gardenia!"

Martin shook his head, smirking slightly. "Only Gardenia? It's been what? Two whole weeks since you started playing?"

Crow returned the grin, punching the Umi deck user in the shoulder playfully. "I like to take my time, okay?"

"Sure…" Martin turned to his left. "What do you think, Jeanne?"

"..."

"Jeanne?" Martin asked again. Still no response.

The two boys turned around, confused. Where they expected a silver-haired Obelisk girl, they found nothing except for a dotted outline in the shape of a Frenchwoman.

"When did she leave?" Martin asked.

"More importantly, how do we lose someone with hair like that?" Crow scoffed.

* * *

Martin and Crow eventually found their French compatriot, sitting at a table with a familiar-looking, at least to Crow, dark-haired midget clad in a red blazer. Said dark-haired midget currently had her eyes closed, Jeanne's deck fanned out in front of her.

"Hmmm…" she selected one card from Jeanne's deck, before showing it to her. "She's definitely the most loyal of all the monsters I've seen." She smiled gently towards her. "You're lucky to have her."

Jeanne took the card shyly, and her face seemed to light up as she saw the card that Salem had selected.

"Hey!" Crow said, startling the two girls. "Aren't you that Salem girl from before?"

Salem frowned when she saw Crow. "Aren't you the one that called me 'small fry?'" she replied wryly.

"Yeah, thanks for that gut-punch, by the way…" Crow muttered angrily.

"What are you doing here?" Martin said, in an attempt to avert the path this conversation was taking.

"Oh, I'm just reading this girl's deck," Salem replied. "Would you like me to do the same?"

"'Read my deck?'" Martin replied, bewildered.

"I have the innate ability to converse with Duel Spirits. By speaking to them, I can see what they think of their wielders." Salem gestured to Jeanne. "For example, her deck is a well-trained army, willing to lay down their lives for their 'general.' I've been waiting to see what your Frost Monarch has to say about you."

"At it again, Yokai?" A very smug voice interrupted.

Salem sighed in annoyance. "Hello, Kon."

There off behind the group stood a very... unusual looking Slifer boy. He was just as small as Salem, a little bigger only because he was built like a boy. He was nonetheless very short and couldn't be older than 15. The unusual part was above the neck. He had a pair of sports shades with one way lenses tinted so dark his eyes weren't even visible. And what stuck out most was his medium length ruffled hair: half bleached golden white and spiky, the other half jet black and flat, slightly covering one side of his face. He had both hands in his pockets and a shit-eating grin. In short, everything about him screamed 'delinquent.' "Yokai here always does weird shit like this, claiming she can speak to cards. She desperately needs to get out more." He mocked. Just the sound of his voice in combination with his speaking tone was enough to make most people immediately lose their patience.

"Wow," Crow whispered to Martin. "This guy's even more of a douche than I am, and that's saying a lot…" Martin merely chuckled.

"You said it, not me."

The boy turned his head toward the chuckling pair, looking intently at Martin. "You're…." he started, before snapping. "Fishbrain! Yeah, you beat the Mega PBFH in the entrance exams." He remarked.

"Fishbrain?!" Martin thought indignantly. "Couldn't I get a a better nickname than that?!"

"Er… PBFH?" Jeanne asked, her confusion now transferring from the boy's overall appearance to his nicknaming 'skills.'

"It's an English term, it means Psycho Bitch From Hell." He said bluntly.

"Oh…" Jeanne said, blushing at the vulgarity.

"What do you want, Kon?" Salem groaned, knowing that it'd lead to something annoying.

'Kon' put his arms behind his head and blew his hair out of his face for it to fall back over his eye. "I was bored off my ass, and you're more often than not up to some weird ritualistic shit. You aren't as hard to find as you think." He said. "...All ya gotta do is follow the sounds of the wailing card spirits." He added mockingly.

Salem rolled her eyes at that. "Your insults stopped being original the day you got off the boat, Kon."

Kon just smirked, knowing that the fact she responded at all meant he got some kind of rise out of her. His expression was downright punchable.

"Now, leave, Kon, and take your stupid shades and hair with you."

"Say another thing about the shades and I'll break your hand." He growled. The tonal shift held incredible ferocity for someone so unintimidating.

"You mean besides the fact that they make you look like a douche?" Salem remarked dryly, the shoe being on the other foot at this point.

"Knock it off Yokai." He growled as his mouth curled from a grin to a snarl.

"You only brought this on yourself," she replied.

Kon reformed his smirk. "You're just jealous cause you look like a horror movie kid. With an appearance like that it's no wonder all your friends are imaginary." Kon said cutting deeper.

Salem clenched her fist at that, though she kept silent.

"Can't even deny it, huh? You freak everyone out with your shoddy magic tricks so you make up some fake friends of your own." He went on.

Martin rolled up his sleeves, before attempting to make a move at Kon, but Jeanne and Crow wisely held him back.

"They're not fake…" Salem said quietly.

"Oh, you finally found your voice again? You're so damn sensitive, all it takes is a little mocking to shut you up. You and your friends are just like everyone else in that aspect. ...then again it's not hard to silence what isn't real." He finished.

"Shut. Up." Salem snarled as she stood up, glaring at Kon with the force of a thousand suns.

Kon just seemed to relish the attention. "Make. Me."

"Fine then. I'll shut you and your stupid-looking glasses up."

"I WARNED YOU TO WATCH IT, BITCH!" He snapped. Immediately, he got defensive and looked over at the other three, specifically a restrained Martin. "What, you want some too?!"

"I'd gladly beat you to a pulp, but I think she's first in line," Martin noted, nodding his head to Salem who was already putting her deck in her Duel Disk.

Kon was still seething. "Better men than you have tried Fishbrain…" he muttered as he got his duel disk out. It was noticeably scratched up. He kept muttering insults as he put his deck in.

Salem's deck was already prepped, and she turned to Kon. "Ladies first."

"Whatever…" He growled. Visible to Salem was a silhouette with spiky hair and about his height behind him, like another Kon with some sort of cape.

"Hmm… he's the perfect match for you," Salem noted. "Just as bratty and just as short."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Kon yelled. There was a whip cracking sound and glowing red eyes on the silhouette, like a masquerading hero.

Salem ignored him, speaking to the silhouette. "Neither of you have done or said anything to prove me wrong, have you?"

"...Bro's an idiot, but I'll still back him up." the silhouette finally replied cryptically with the voice of a teen boy. The voice went unheard by everyone else.

Salem shrugged. "Fair enough." She turned to Kon. "Well, are we going to duel, or are you gonna stand like an idiot all day?"

"You're the one talking to empty space! DUEL!" He shouted before taking a few deep breaths and once again putting on the grin.

Kon: 4000LP

Salem: 4000LP

"My draw… I activate the spell Double Summon! And set two monsters facedown. Next I'll set a facedown and end my turn."

"My turn. I shall set Headless Knight in Defense Mode." A living suit of armor, sans his head, appeared onto the field, bashing the hilt of his sword against his shield, before putting the shield in front of him. Headless Knight(4/1450/1700) "Next, I'll set one card facedown, before ending my turn."

"My draw!...I activate Macro Cosmos!" the facedown revealed itself and the area became spatial. One of the stars began to grow in size until it was big as a head, and a body of bandages formed below it. Helios The Primordial Sun (4/0/0)

Crow tilted his head in confusion. "A monster with no attack points? For a guy that talks up such a big game, I didn't expect a card like that."

Martin nodded gravely. "Sometimes, those are the monsters you should fear most."

"Now I play Graceful Charity! And because Macro Cosmos is on the field, those discarded cards are removed from play instead!" another Helios and Majestic Mech Ohka were removed from play. The stars changed position ever so slightly and Helios glowed brighter. Helios the Primordial Sun(4/0/0)-(4/200/200)

"Only a factor of 100?" Salem snarked. She turned to Helios. "No offense, but that's not that impressive."

"Just you wait…" Kon said mischievously and let out a very Bart Simpson-like laugh. "Now I summon D.D. Destroyer in defense mode!" A quadrupedal mish-mash of a beast crawled out of a portal and let out a combination of a howl and a bark. D.D. Destroyer(4/1000/1000) "and now i set a facedown and end my turn."

"My draw," Salem replied. "Now, come forth, Gil Garth!" A fiendish looking mechanical warrior armed with a truly titanic saber marched menacingly onto the battlefield. Gil Garth(4/1800/1200) "Now, say goodbye to Helios!"

The attack hit a familiar barrier.

"Waboku?! Oh, come on!" Salem groaned.

"Everyone uses it for a damn good reason, Yokai." Kon snarked as the trap was removed from play.

"Rrgh. I end my turn."

"My draw!...heh, luck's on my side! I tribute Banisher of the Light to summon Kuraz, The Light Monarch!" a golden clad radiant warrior appeared with a golden ring behind him. Kuraz the Light Monarch(6/2400/1000), Helios the Primordial Sun(4/200/200)-(4/300/300)

"Another Monarch?" Martin said in surprise. "Huh."

"Bet you're surprised to see a 'little punk' like me with such a rare card, aintcha? C'mon, admit it!" Kon bragged to the duelists watching.

"Actually, I'm more surprised that Kuraz actually likes being with you, Salem replied. "Either way, first I activate Adhesive Trap Hole." The radiant monarch immediately fell into a pit filled with sticky glue. Kuraz the Light Monarch(6/2400/1000)-(6/1200/1000)

"Rrgh, you said the same thing about Kuraz last time- wait what?!" Kon said interrupted by the visage of his monster sinking. "Damn it... well his effect still activates! I can destroy two of your cards, and I choose both your monsters!" two beams of light shot out and honed in on the monsters, reducing them to dust.

"Sorry guys, maybe next time," Salem apologized as she drew two cards. Her smile grew wide as she realized what card she drew.

"Wipe that stupid grin off your face! You're still defenseless! I flip summon D.D Warrior Lady!" A warrior, gaze steeled and body armored, took to the field, swinging a blade of pure light around. D.D. Warrior Lady(4/1500/1600)

"I'm not defenseless," Salem chided. "Not completely."

"Trying to bluff? Won't work! Warrior Lady, attack!" the warrior launched at Salem.

Almost immediately, a fiend with bizarre eyes floated in front of Salem. Juragedo(4/1700/1300)

Kon: 4000LP

Salem: 5000LP

"Rrgh...DD Warrior Lady, attack!" the warrior woman continued her attack, slashing at the fiend. Unfortunately, the monster blocked the blade with one gnarled arm, before stabbing its claws into the Warrior Lady's torso as Kon's life points dropped.

Kon: 3800LP

Salem: 5000LP

Despite the pain of the claws slicing into her flesh, the interdimensional warrior smiled grimly as she grabbed onto her opponent and both were dragged into a portal. Helios the Primordial Sun:(4/300/300)-(4/500/500)

"And now I'll set a facedown and end my turn." Kon finished.

"My turn!" Salem smirked. "Now, I activate the field spell Yami!" The field suddenly grew dark, every monster on the field becoming veiled in a sinister dark purple mist, the entire area resembling the Underworld itself.

"This place is ugly as Hell. Literally." Kon snarked. "Why can't you ever choose something that ISNT Doom and Gloom?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry Kon, I won't tell everyone you're afraid of the dark," Salem replied back

"I-I AM NOT!" Kon stuttered out in protest.

"Your defensive tone suggests otherwise!" Crow heckled.

"Shut it Feathers!" Kon snapped.

"Dude, I don't even have Winged Beasts in my deck. Your insult stinks," Crow shot back.

"Well what DO you have then?!"

After putting on his sunglasses, Crow responded. "MACHINES!" He boomed, the volume of the reference forcing Jeanne and Martin to cover their ears.

"THEN SHUT IT METAL FEATHERS!" Kon snapped.

"That's even stupider," Salem interjected.

'Can it, Yokai! His name is Crow ain't it?!"

"Yeah, that doesn't make the name less stupid," Salem snarked. "Now, I'll continue my turn. I now activate Ritual of Grace!" An alabaster altar, various beautiful golden jewelry and clothing placed upon it, rose up from the shadows, glowing with divine light.

"Tch, you covered the place in darkness just to turn on a candlelight?" Kon snarked once more.

"Oh, this isn't just any light. Now, from my hand, I offer up Earthbound Spirit and Ryu-Kishin Powered…" Helios the Primordial Sun:(4/500/500)-(4/700/700) "...to Ritual Summon Divine Grace Northwemko!" The silhouettes of two hideous Fiends appeared into the aether, before vanishing into thin air. The altar glowed with a divine light, and the jewelry and gold rose into the air. The light soon began to form into a vaguely human shape, before solidifying. There was a blinding flash of light, before a new figure stood onto the field. She was a beautiful woman, hair pure as platinum, and skin as pale as alabaster. Her eyes carried a gentle tone to them, and she held a gilded staff that shone with holy energies. Divine Grace-Northwemko:(7/2700/1200)-(7/2900/1400)

Kon hid his awe behind a fake yawn.

Salem turned to Northwemko, a soft smile on her face. "Shall we old friend?"

The holy priestess nodded, before spinning her staff around, and slamming it on the ground with authority, the sound able to make even the fiercest monsters flinch.

Kon himself, not being the fiercest of monsters, flinched heavily at the action. "What was that?!"

"Now, Northwemko, attack Kuraz with Holy Flare!" The Divine Grace held her staff aloft, before aiming it at the Monarch. A burst of holy light emanated from it, obliterating the Light Monarch.

Kon shielded his face from the blast. "Kuraz! Damn it!"

Kon: 2100LP

Salem: 5000LP

Helios the Primordial Sun(4/700/700)-(4/800/800)

"Not bad, huh? I end my turn."

"Rghh... My draw!"

"I play another Graceful Charity!" drawing another three cards, Kon discarded Banisher of the Light and Banisher of the Radiance. Helios the Primordial Sun(4/800/800)-(4/900/900) "Now I banish DD Destroyer to special summon DD Sprite!" as the beast disappeared, an adorable looking fairy chibi appeared. D.D. Sprite (1/0/100) Helios the Primordial Sun(4/900/900)-(4/1000/1000)

"Aww…" Jeanne let out. "It's so tiny!"

"Didn't expect a guy dressed like _that_ to have a monster that looks like it just floated out of a kids cartoon," Crow noted with a raised eyebrow.

Kon snapped his fingers a couple of times, bringing everyone back to reality. "If you'd pay attention, you'd notice DD Destroyer's effect activates, meaning goodbye to your Ritual monster!" a lone breeze howled in the silence as Northwemko stood there, yawning in boredom. "...uh ...why is nothing happening?" Kon said worriedly

Salem shook her head in contempt. "Allow me to educate you on Northwemko's effect. When I Ritual Summon her, I can choose as many face up cards on the field as much as the monsters I offered to Ritual Summon her. As long as one of those cards is on the field, card effects can't get rid of her."

"Wh-which cards did you choose?!"

"I chose Yami and Macro Cosmos."

Kon paled, but color quickly returned to his face. "So wait….only two?"

"Yes, what part of 'as many monsters as I offered' do you not understand?"

"..." Kon slowly began to grin in realization. "I activate my trap: Spiritual Light Art - Hijiri! And I tribute D.D. Sprite to activate it!" the small monster disappeared as quickly as it had appeared as a large sphere of light swallowed it. Helios the Primordial Sun(4/1000/1000)-(4/1100/1100)

"What does that do?"

"I can special summon any banished monster! And I CHOOSE KURAZ!" Kon yelled triumphantly as his Monarch emerged from the heavenly light, back from the void. Via summoning circle. Kuraz The Light Monarch(6/2400/1000), Helios the Primordial Sun(4/1100/1100)-(4/1000/1000)

"Wait, but you just Special Summoned him! Not tribute summoned him! His effect can't activate!" Martin interjected.

"Tsk tsk tsk…" Kon wagged his finger with a shit eating grin plastered all over his face. "Ya know what makes Kuraz different from the other Monarchs? His ability activates even if he isn't tribute summoned! And that means i can destroy two cards again! Specifically, i destroy Yami and Macro Cosmos!" two beams shot out, one dissipated all the stars save for helios, the other casting a light throughout the seemingly unending darkness.

"Tch… fine," Salem growled as she drew a card, before smiling once again. Divine Grace-Northwemko(7/2900/1400)-(7/2700/1200)

"But I'm not done!" Kon said as he grinned at the card he just drew. "Finally I can kick things into high gear! First I summon my third and final Banisher of the Light in Defense Mode." Banisher of the Light(3/100/2000) "And now I sacrifice Helios to special Summon Helios Duos Megistus!" another sun began to revolve around Helios's head, which doubled in size. Helios Duo Megistus(4/2200/2200)

"Oh…" Salem winced.

"Remember what you said about it being a pitiful factor of 100 per monster? Well now you see that it's 200. But I think we an kick it up one more notch! I sacrifice Duo to summon Trice!" the two suns merged, before enlarging and splitting into three smaller suns with little bandaged bodies attached to each. Helios Trice Megistus(8/3600/3600)

"Wait, so your monster goes from being a woman, to a slightly stockier woman, to three children?" Martin asked as he scratched his head in confusion.

"Now that you mention it, that is really weird," Jeanne agreed.

"Don't question it, it just works!" Kon retorted. "Now, attack Trice!" the three suns formed a triangle that shot a solar ray at Northwemko.

However, something blocked the attack, and Northwemko was still standing, albeit her dress was a bit seared.

"Wait what now?" Kon said irritated.

The same object that blocked the attack pushed in through, ramming into the trio, and knocking them over like bowling pins.

"WHAT?!" Kon yelled frustrated, searching for the object that went flying.

The source of the interruption? A small glowing mechanical orb that made a very familiar cry.

"Is that... a Kuriboh?" Kon said staring in confusion.

"Sphere Kuriboh, to be precise. By discarding him from my hand, your monster is forced into defense mode."

"Yeah well, you still just further boosted its power!" As Sphere kuriboh vanished into the void Trice grew brighter. Helios Trice Megistus(8/3600/3600)-(8/3900/3900)

"Don't worry, I can get around that little annoyance."

"I'd like to see you try!" Kon scoffed.

"My draw!" As Salem drew, D.D. Destroyer returned to field, claws raised on guard. Helios Trice Megistus(8/3900/3900)-(8/3600/3600) "Now, I summon Newdoria in Defense Mode!" An orange fiend dressed in leather appeared on the field, holding his arms in front of him like a zombie. Newdoria:(3/1200/700) "Now, Northwemko, attack Banisher!" The holy lady held up her staff once more, burning the Banisher with ease. Helios Trice Megistus(8/3600/3600)-(8/3900/3900) "Finally, I'll set one card facedown, ending my turn."

"My draw!... alright, I switch Kuraz to defense mode, and that's it." Kon finished begrudgingly. "As long as my monsters are in defense mode, she can't attack with Newdoria to make it destroy itself…" he thought to himself

"Not going to attack Newdoria? Fine. I now summon Gemini Elf in Attack Mode!" The famous sorceress sisters appeared on the field, one wielding light, the other wielding darkness. Gemini Elf(4/1900/900) "Now, they're going to attack Kuraz! Yin-Yang Bomber!" The two sisters held their hands together, their magical energies combining into one massive sphere of chaotic energies, before firing it towards Kuraz. The Monarch was easily blasted to smithereens under the clashing elemental attack. "I'll end my turn. Your move, delinquent."

"You say that like it's an insult, I own that title!" Kon cheered as he drew. "I activate the field spell Sanctuary in the Sky!" clouds formed the along the field and a massive sacred temple, bathed in heavenly rays and heralded by angelic choirs, took form. "And now I set a facedown and end my turn."

"Ugh… and you said my field spell was horrifying… I draw. Turn end."

"That all? MY draw! Now i switch Trice to attack mode, and attack Gemini Elf!" again, the three suns formed a tri-beam.

"No you don't! Activate Attack Guidance Armor!" A demonic looking set of armor surrounded Newdoria, and the beam was redirected towards him.

Kon's smile didn't waver as Newdoria was obliterated.

At the point when its effect would activate, however, purple blasts rained down from the temple. "I activate my trap, Divine Punishment! Because Sanctuary In the Sky is on the field, I can negate any monster effect, spell, or trap once!"

Despite the monster shattering into pieces, Salem's smile was as wide as ever. "Are you done?"

"Yeah, I'm done." Kon replied.

"I have to say, you tried your best, but I'm finishing this duel now!"

"Hah! And how ya gonna manage that?"

Salem revealed one of the cards in her hand. "Like this. I activate Forbidden Chalice." A beautiful golden goblet embedded with gems floated down from the sky, glittering and glowing with an alluring air.

"So? That's not enough of a power boost to help you." Kon replied smugly.

"Let me explain, lamebrain," Salem began sarcastically. "I can activate this card, and target a monster. That monster gains 400 Attack Points, but it's effect is null."

"...again, I dont get why i should be upset by this."

"Let me put it simply, then." She pointed towards the triple suns as the chalice began to wobble, spilling some liquid. "I. TARGET. TRICE!" The cup spilled over completely, dousing all three bandaged monsters and putting out their flames. Helios Trice Megistus(8/3900/3900)-(8/400/400)

For a moment you could hear a pin drop as Northwemko prepared her attack. "Oh you MOTHER-"

The curse was cut short by a blast of divine energy annihilating the small sun trio, finishing off Kon's Life Points.

Kon: 0LP

Salem: 5000LP

As the holograms faded, Kon was seething. "You… I WON'T FORGET THIS!" he point to Martin, Salem, and Crow with one finger each. "YOU'RE ON MY SHITLIST, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY!" with that he ran off. Despite being scrawny, he was a fast sonufabitch.

"Man, what a punk," Crow remarked.

"A total jackass,"Martin agreed.

"Why didn't I make his shit list?" Jeanne asked aloud.

The masqueraded silhouette from before remained. "Bro only got use ONE of his aces, don't forget that!" and with a Captain Falcon salute, he vanished.

Salem sighed, glad that her tormentor had left for the time being. "I'd say I hope he learned his lesson, but he never does..."

As the trio went on ahead, Salem allowed herself a small grin.

"Are you sure that you want to join them, Salem?" A feminine voice spoke gently.

Upon hearing her name spoken, she turned her head ever so slightly.

"Hey, Salem!" A voice cried out

"Thanks Northwemko... for everything." Salem whispered as the figure of her closest friend disappeared into the aether. Taking in a breath, Salem walked towards the others. "So this is what it's like to have friends..."

* * *

A/N: And now Salem makes her duel premier! I've always found Ritual Monsters cool since Duelist Kingdom, so I decided to dedicate an entire character to how much I love them.

Prower Note: So do ya hate Kon yet? He's easily my favorite character to write for... Oh, did you think he was my only character in this story? If so, how very VERY wrong you are. Maniacal laughter.

A/N: Alright, that's enough outta you, get out!

Prower Note: Fine, fine, but only after you promote me.

A/N: Fine. If you're interested in more of what Prower here does, go check out his FE Fic, 'What's a Save State?'. Now, geddout.


	6. Warrior's Triumph

Prower: OHOHOHOHO! How the student has become the master! You had a year's head start on me and, remind me what chapter this is?

Nerd-Bot: ...six.

Prower: and if we look at MY story we'll see 1, 2, 3….about 30 chapters! Oh and look, it was just updated!

Nerd-Bot: Aw, shaddap! I've been dealing with some stuff, alright?

* * *

" _Alright now… focus… focus…"_

"Jeanne!"

"AH!" The Obelisk student flinched, nearly dropping her tools in surprise. Quickly, she tried to catch them, just barely managing to avoid having them fall to the ground.

"Ah, I'm sorry to have scared you, my girl!" The professor, an older man confined to a wheelchair, apologized.

"I-it's fine, Professor Xerxes," Jeanne stuttered. "I guess I got a little too caught up in my work!"

"I see…" The professor leaned forward at the project. It was fairly good, for a high schooler, that is. It seemed to be a small blade of some sort, dulled of course. It appeared that Jeanne was trying to make a design on the flat. Xerxes turned to Jeanne and smiled. "Well, I have a feeling that your project will turn out fine. He turned to the position beside Jeanne and frowned. "I just wish I could say the same for your tablemate." Shaking his head slightly, he began to wheel off. "Keep up the good work, my girl!"

No sooner had he left then Kon walked into the workroom. Immediately he propped an elbow on the table near Jeanne. "So….still making a knife."

Jeanne gulped nervously as Kon took his position, remembering his attitude and temper from when he dueled Salem. Meekly, she nodded, before attempting to focus on her work once more.

Instead, Kon was relatively quiet, a far cry from his usual self, and didn't have his perpetual smirk. He simply watched as Jeanne worked. Occasionally the professor would come around checking up on people, and each time Kon made himself scarce before returning to Jeanne's adjacent workplace.

" _He's awfully quiet. Maybe he's sick? No, he doesn't talk much in class at all… should I ask? What if he yells at me… Wait, maybe he'll be okay with me? I'm not on his 'shit list'. But he's also scary looking!"_ As these thoughts ran through her head, she unknowingly stared at Kon for an uncomfortably long period of time.

Behind his shades, it was impossible to tell if Kon was looking at her or her work. At least, hard to tell until his face reddened. "...Y-yeah? You got something to say, spit it out."

Jeanne paled at that. "EeEEP!" Her voice came out as a strange hybrid of squeaky toy and nails on a chalkboard. At that, several of the students began to snicker at her, and Jeanne quickly pressed her face into her hands.

Shortly after it began, it died down almost immediately.#

The Obelisk girl peeked out from behind her fingers as the laughter died down, confused.

Several other obelisks and a couple of Ra Yellow students had busied themselves with their own work, and those remaining simply followed suit. Next to Jeanne was a Slifer with shades around his neck and a gaze that threatened to stab anyone caught in it.

Jeanne looked at Kon, even more terrified of him than before. " _Oh, dear Obelisk, he's going to kill me!"_

Kon placed both arms on the empty desk and rested his chin on it, staring forward with his shades still off. On a dime his gaze had gone from terrifying to simply hardened. "...Sorry you have to deal with that kinda bull. It's never fun being the new, shy person in the class."

Meanwhile while now quiet, the interaction did not go unnoticed by most of the class. One could even hear a pencil break multiple times. " _Even the goddamn brat worships her…"_

Jeanne swallowed nervously. "Umm… thanks." " _He hasn't yelled at me or anything. Maybe he's actually nice?"_ Shaking her head slightly, she decided to continue the conversation. "I-I didn't know that you were actually in this class."

"Pft." Kon responded, briefly blowing the jet black part of his hair out of his face. "Saying I'm in this class is like saying I'm ready to be a Ra Yellow. Technically a possibility, but only if I could be bothered to give a shit." After a few brief moment of silence he spoke up again. "Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not a nice guy. I've just picked up enough street smarts to know everyone needs sanctuary."

Jeanne put a hand to her face, trying to resist giggling at his attempts at being cool. "You're not that bad, are you?"

"Sh-Shut up." He said, briefly breaking character. "Were you just tuned out or something when Yokai and I dueled? At what point did I try to tell any of you I wanted to make friends?"

Jeanne frowned slightly at that, before turning back to her work.

Despite what he'd just said, Kon continued to watch in silence until the bell began to ring. This time, when the professor came to inspect everyone's work, Kon didn't hide away.

Professor Xerxes stopped beside Kon, sighing. "Stop me if you've heard this speech before."

"You might as well spare me it, doc." Kon replied. "You know it won't change anything."

"I figured as much," Xerxes sighed. "Still, if you're not going to bother doing the work, next time don't bother signing up for the class."

"...Yes sir." Kon said, in the first sign of any sort of professionalism seen since the year began.

Xerxes smiled. "What's with the change in attitude? From what I've heard from the other teachers, I'd have expected you to have flipped me off and walk away."

"I… I don't want to stop taking this class." Kon admitted in near silence.

Elsewhere another student who stayed after the bell grinned to herself. " _Interesting…"_ As the professor and Kon finally left, the bronze haired lass cracked her knuckles and her grin spread even wider. "...Time to go to work."

* * *

Jeanne, meanwhile, had already made a fair ways away from the metalworking labs, and was currently talking with the others.

"You're kidding me, right?" Salem remarked flatly as she leaned against a wall. "Kon. Was nice to you."

"It's true!" Jeanne protested from her spot on the grass. "He stood up for me in class! We even had a conversation!"

Crow looked between Salem and Jeanne. "Eh… if anyone has any experience with that edgy tryhard, it'd probably be Salem. I mean, they're both Slifers."

Salem glared at Crow in annoyance. "I'd rather you didn't compare me to that 'edgy tryhard', if it's all the same to you?"

"But!" Jeanne turned to Martin in an attempt to get his support.

Martin shrugged. "Sorry, Jeanne, I gotta admit, they have a point here. You saw how he acted when we met him."

The Obelisk girl visibly deflated at that. "But… he was so nice…"

Crow smirked slightly. "Maybe he has a crush on you!"

Martin and Jeanne paled at that. "Y-you're joking… right, man?" Martin stuttered.

"Can't wait to hear the wedding bells," Salem smirked as she got up.

"Can I be your best man?" Crow teased.

"Wait! No, you have it all wrong!" Jeanne protested. "It's not like that! I think? YES! It's not like that!" Jeanne immediately gave chase to the two laughing friends. Meanwhile, Martin was still trying to comprehend Crow's statement.

As the clamor made its way back towards the metalworking labs, a figures took notice and quickly made their way inside. One could still hear the fan in the labs.

As Jeanne continued to give chase to her friends, she paused. Suddenly, she smiled to herself.

" _Technically a possibility, but only if I could be bothered to give a shit."_

"I'll show them… you're not a bad guy at all, Kon." Her previous teasing at the hands of her friends forgotten, she went back around, opening the doors to the metalworking labs.#

Before her was an unfortunate sight. Mainly for her. On her desk was her project, clearly vandalized, already oxidizing and becoming covered in rust. At the other end of the labs was Kon looking around, oblivious to Jeanne.

With a thud, the silver-haired girl fell to her knees, speechless. "N-no…"

Kon took notice, and even with his shades on, one could tell his mind was racing. After a moment, he silently continued his search, immediately spotting something of interest. Still not speaking, he quickly checked the back entrance.

Shakily, Jeanne attempted to get to her feet, only to fall back to the floor, bringing a nearby stool with her. Her eyes were flooded with tears, and it seemed like she was trying to say something.

Kon clenched his fist and murmured something, but from where she was Jeanne could only make out several uses of the word 'bitch'. Kon flung the back door wide open and burst into a run.

As Kon ran off, the others wandered into the labs. "Hey, Jeanne?" Crow yelled out. "Something wrong?"

"Look, we're sorry for teasing you," Salem added in. "We didn't mean anything by it!"

The others stopped in their tracks as they saw Jeanne, on her knees, weeping. Immediately, they ran over to her. "Jeanne?" Martin said. "What happened?!"

"Umm…" Crow walked over to the nearby desk, picking up the vandalized project. "I think I know what happened…"

"Y-you were right…" Jeanne cried, still too shocked to stand. "I-it was Kon… he's a monster…"

Crow's eyes widened. "What? Kon did this?!"

"He's gone too far now…" Salem cursed. "Even for a snake like him, this is despicable!"

Immediately, Martin's face darkened. "Where did he go?" Jeanne pointed a finger towards the direction he left, and immediately Martin stormed off in that direction, Salem right on his tail.

* * *

Kon had slowed his pace and was looking around. "Fucking bitch…" he murmured.

Soon enough, Salem and Martin caught up to Kon. Martin especially was making a charge for him at this point. "KOOOOOOOOOOON!"

Kon jumped slightly as he turned around. "Oh for fucks sake-" he barely managed.

Martin made a grab for the shorter boy, but missed as Kon dodged out of the way.

"Hey Fishbrain." Kon said, part of his usual smirk replaced with unbridled annoyance. Again, he sidestepped a grab.

"Stand still, you bastard!" Martin yelled out as he kept trying to grapple Kon.

"Look, I'd love to tangle Fishbrain, but I'm kinda busy right now. REALLY BUSY." Kon finished through clenched teeth. At that, the next time Martin wiffed he began to make an exit.

As Kon began to walk away, he suddenly felt his legs give out from under him

"GODDAM-" Kon got out before faceplanting. He looked up. "Will you people leave me alone?!"

"No way! You know what you did!" Martin yelled, having grabbed onto Kon's feet to keep him from getting away.

Salem came from around, looking down on Kon. "I can't believe that I'm saying this, but you've officially hit a new low, Kon."

"Oh will you both just piss off?!" Kon barked. "I have shit to do!"

"What, like destroy more projects?!" Martin yelled in Kon's face.

Kon jutted forward, knocking Martin back with a headbutt, before raising his voice drastically. "LISTEN HERE YOU DENSE MOTHER-"

"Oh just shut up already!" Another voice interjected. A ra yellow with bronze hair walked towards the group. "Serves you right, you… you… saboteur!" She exclaimed, crossing her arms and glaring at Kon. Immediately Kon's attention shifted entirely from Martin.

Temporarily distracted, Martin turned to the Ra girl as well. "Who are you?"

"V-Violet." She replied meekly, seemingly intimidated by Martin, or possibly Kon's unbroken gaze. "I heard a bunch of noise coming from the labs, I was gonna go look inside, but I then I heard a bunch of other noise and ran away." She pointed at Kon. "I heard what you said about him, how he ruined someone's project? I bet you anything he ruined the one belonging to that silver haired girl! He was watching her all day in class!"

"Hah! Told you!" Martin boasted. He redirected his attention to Kon. "What do you have to say now?"

For a split second Kon glanced over at Martin, visibly thought a few things over, then went back to staring at Violet in dead silence.

Martin clenched his fist angrily. "Well? What do you have to say, you creep?"

Again, Kon ignored Martin and instead looked over to Salem. "Et tu, Yokai? Here I thought you knew me. I have SOME dignity, you know. There's still a handful of things I don't stand for."

"Kon, what proof do you have? We have a witness and everything," Salem pointed out

Kon went back to glaring at Violet _again_. "One of those few things is being blamed for others' dirty work. I don't blame my shit on others, and I'd never take credit for what wasn't my own work. You two get where I'm going with this?"

As the group continued arguing amongst themselves, Crow and Jeanne had walked in on the scene. "Alright, where's Kon so I can punch him in that stupid looking face of his?" Crow groused.

"No one asked Metal Feathers." Kon grunted. "Not like it'd land anyways, just ask Fishbrain."

Violet stared wide-eyed at Kon. "Y-You're accusing ME?!" She shrieked in a half whisper.

Kon nodded. "I'm what you might call an observationalist. I know exactly what everyone's got in their supplies."

"So you admit you go through everyone's stuff!" Violet countered before looking to Jeanne. "Hey, you! Silver-hair!"

Jeanne looked up, a bit shocked. "M-me?"

"Y-You don't seriously believe this guy, do you?! He ruined your project, then tries to pin it on ME?!"

Kon didn't comment, but visibly something snapped, and he bolted towards Violet.

Seeing Kon's face, Crow and Martin quickly grabbed him, pinning him down once more. "NO YOU DON'T!"

In an instant Kon's seemingly calm demeanor broke down into what was REALLY going through his mind: pure and utter vehemence. "LET ME GO YOU BASTARDS!" He yelled as he struggled enough to give the two Ra boys a run for their money in persistence.

Violet pointing to the now perpetually cursing Slifer. "See? That's the kind of person that punk is, he's always been like that…" She looked to Jeanne. "Jeanne, right? I heard him when he was in there, that must be when he made a mess of the place. I guarantee he's the one who ruined your project. To use rust of all things, he's horrible…"

"Yeah. Kon's a bastard, but even I didn't think he'd stoop that low," Salem snarled as she glared at the struggling Kon.

Kon simply continued to struggle, to the point where his shades fell from his face around his neck and one could see his face contorted into an expression of rage. To Jeanne however, it was familiar. It was the exact same look he gave in class just earlier that day.

Jeanne looked into Kon's eyes, remembering what she had said earlier. " _I was the only one willing to give him a chance… why am I turning on him now?"_ "Well, I…"

"Well?!" Violet snapped, growing impatient. "Tell him off, yeah?!"

Jeanne paused. "Wait… what did you say earlier?"

Violet paused. "...huh? I-I said he's definitely the one who ruined your project! I'm telling you: I heard it all!"

"No…" Jeanne gave Violet an angry glare. "What was that about rust?"

For a brief but all to blatant moment, Violet's expression flickered. "You… you said so yourself, it got ruined with rust…"

"No… I just got here," Jeanne pointed out. "So how did you know my project got destroyed by rust?"

"I… huh?" Violet replied after a short silence, blinking just enough to be conspicuous, while giving an oblivious look.

Kon had mysteriously stopped struggling, and let a smirk creep across his face.

Jeanne looked uncharacteristically angry now, and stepped closer. "Kon wasn't the one who destroyed my work, was he?"

Violet stepped hesitantly backwards. "Y-you…" not a moment after her expression caved and curved into an expression of utter contempt. "You think you're such hot stuff…" she muttered.

At this point, Crow and Martin's grips had loosened, and Salem was looking between Violet and Jeanne in shock.

"Why… why did you do this?! What did I ever do to you?!" Jeanne screamed.

"You think you're SO goddamn special, don't you?!" Violet started, voice rising. "You just decide you're above it all, never talking to anyone, never accepting a duel, it's pathetic! But because of a bunch of stupid numbers on paper all the professors fawn over you?! Give me a break. And now you move in on MY turf?! The day you walked into that lab you became queen of the class didn't you? Taking the desk front of the room but never chatting with us "lesser folk" you STUPID. ARROGANT. BI-!"

Before Violet could finish, Jeanne smacked her across the face with the back of her hand, knocking her back on the ground. "That's it… you ruined my work and pinned it on Kon… over something as petty as _that_?!"

Violet wiped her cheek and spat, dazed less by the force of the hit and moreso by the fact she had been hit at all. "...You even hit like a princess." She smirked. "But that look in your eyes was so worth it. Not to mention on top of you getting yours, that brat will be gone for good."

Kon grimaced from behind his shades. Without Martin or Crow even realizing, he had left their grasp and realigned his glasses.

Salem looked to Kon, confused. "Concerned for once?"

"This isn't some prank that got pulled, Yokai." Kon murmured, but didn't explain further than that.

Violet smirked again. "He already knows what he's in for, I don't need to explain what this entails, do I princess?"

"He's going to be expelled… and you don't even care."

Violet feigned being hurt. "Oh, ya don't give me enough credit!" she cried, her meek voice now fully replaced by a much more streetwise one; clearly her natural speaking voice. "Of _course_ I care… and I couldn't be happier. Someone who can't craft for nails doesn't deserve to be in a workshop class, don't that make sense?"

Jeanne clenched her fist angrily, before something came to mind. "I… challenge you."

Violete raised an eyebrow, and Kon's head snapped towards Jeanne. "Oh?" Violet responded with intrigue in her voice. "What's in it for me?"

"Your grudge is against me, right? If I lose, then I'll leave Duel Academy. Your secret will be safe."

"WHAT?!" Crow, Salem, and Martin cried out.

"Are you insane?!" Martin yelled. "Why would you do that?!"

Jeanne turned to the others, smiling slightly. "If her issue is with me, why get Kon in trouble?"

Kon remained dead quiet, although even his shades didn't hide his expression.

Violet began to laugh. "Oh this is RICH. Little princess is putting her life on the line for the street rat? Deal!" _And when I win, I'll go straight to the professor and tell him it was Kon._ "

"J-Jeanne." Kon finally said. "You don't need to do this." For the first time Kon sounded nervous. "Look, if you guys'll really back me up, we'll just all testify against her and-"

"Nice try brat." Violet interrupted. "But your reputation is finally gonna hit you full force. You think anyone who's been at this academy for a while will take the voice of a few first years and an infamous delinquent over a second year who's got top marks in duel scores? I don't think so!"

"T-top marks…" Salem whispered. "J-jeanne's a good duelist, right guys?"

Both Martin and Crow paled at that. "...I don't think we've ever seen her duel before," Martin realized.

"I only saw her once at the entrance exams," Crow pointed out. "She hasn't dueled anyone after that."

"Maybe not in the arena…" Violet taunted. "But on the roadside? That's another story. And unlike little miss princess who decided the only time she ever needed to duel was at her entrance exam, I duel plenty to keep my blades sharp! There's a reason none of the applicants who went up against me made the cut."

Jeanne pulled out her duel disk. It seemed a tad more stylized than the others'. It shone in the sunlight, gleaming silver and blue. It was designed ornately, with a fleur-de-li on top of the cartridge for the deck. "You haven't dueled me before." Thrusting her arm forward, the disk blade extended, much like a sword, before folding back into the usual crescent shape.

Violet's eyebrow raised. "A disc modder? Oh, this'll be fun. It's much better when you take down someone who's invested a bit." With that she brought out her own disc, which was a brass color matching her bronzed hair, but without any gleam thanks to a perfectly even and kept coat of rust. With a flicker her disc full extended, a piercing shriek signaling it's extension like a battle cry as rust scraped against rust. "...Hm? Looks like you've already been abandoned."

As the others turned around, they indeed saw Kon with one hand in pocket heading back the direction they came. What Jeanne also saw though, just before he rounded a corner, was a single, quick thumbs up.

Jeanne gave Kon a small smile, before turning back to Violet. "Excuse me."

"Huh?"

"I do believe that I still have to announce my own conditions if I win."

"Heh. Sure, name anything. It don't matter much."

"Alright. If I win, you confess to Professor Xerxes what you did, and you accept whatever punishment he gives you without complaint."

Violet shrugged. "Sure, sure." She fitted her deck into her disc. "Now get ready to see how it's REALLY done."

Jeanne did the same, taking out her deck and placing it within the cartridge. The cartridge snapped shut, automatically shuffling her deck and dealing out five cards.

 **Violet: 4000LP**

 **Jeanne: 4000LP**

"Duel!"

"My draw!" Violet called out. "I play a monster facedown and the spell card Nightmare Steelcage!" A spiked metal dome shot up from the ground, with a wall separating the two sides. "And that's it for this turn."

"Man… she wasn't kidding when she said she was a pro," Crow groaned. "Already opening up with something like that?"

"I don't get it," Salem replied.

"Nightmare Steelcage is a card that prevents attacking for two turns when it's activated. Since it's the first turn, Violet doesn't lose that first attacking opportunity," Martin pointed out.

Violet smiled. "It's nice to be appreciated… especially when that appreciation makes you realize you're screwed."

"This duel's just started," Jeanne replied. "You shouldn't be so confident yet!"

"Confidence leads to success, and there's nothing more obvious than how much you lack it!" Violet shot back.

At that Jeanne flinched. No one could deny that Violet had a point there. "I draw…" Looking at the card she drew, she smiled. "I summon Dark Blade in Attack Mode!" An armored knight, wielding two sinister-looking scimitars in his hands, leaped onto the field, brandishing his weapons menacingly. **Dark Blade (4/1800/1500)** "Next, I'll place one card facedown, and end my turn!"

"Draw. I summon Shocktopus!" A combination between stun lance and octopus appeared on the field. **Shocktopus (4/1600/800)** "Next I set a facedown and end my turn."

* * *

Kon made his way to the farthest corner of the room, where the main lights didn't entirely reach, and got out a key. Shortly after, he stood over the rusted project, still left out. " _Sigh..._ Guess I have to do everything around here."

* * *

"My draw! I play the spell Reinforcement of the Army! Now, I can draw a Level Four or lower Monster from my deck!" Out from Jeanne's disk, a card slid out, and she took it, before slamming it onto her disk. "And I'll use this opportunity to summon Field-Commander Rahz to the field!" A battle-scarred warrior wearing a red bandana took the field, before raising his blade to the sky. **Field-Commander Rahz (4/1600/1200)** "Now, I can activate his effect! With this commander's military might, I can choose a Level Four or lower Warrior card from my deck and place it on top." Once more reaching down, a card popped out from her deck and she took it, before her expression changed slightly.

"It's too late for second guessing, princess!" Violet called, pouncing the moment Jeanne wavered.

Salem on the other hand, grinned. "Looks like her 'guardian angel' has arrived," she said.

"The heck are YOU on about?!" Violet snapped. "...wait, was the runt serious when he called you a damn yokai?"

Salem merely raised her fingers and waggled them sarcastically.

"With that, I'll end my turn here!" As Jeanne said that, the cage began to rust rapidly, before blowing away in the wind.

"My draw…"Violet began, before grinning like a madwoman. "Jackpot." She said matter of factly.

Salem flinched at the sight of her Deck Master. "That… is not good."

"What is it," Martin asked. "What card did she draw?"

"I don't know… but from looks alone, it isn't good."

"First off, I flip summon my facedown monster, Iron Chain Snake!" A monster crawled out with an appearance exactly as stated, it's chains clattering like a rattlesnake shaking its tail. **Iron Chain Snake (3/800/1200)** "And now I'll activate its effect! During one of my main phases I can target one of your monsters…" The monster lashed out with all the speed of a real serpent, but after one end bit down on Dark Blade, the other end coiled around it, restricting its movement. **Dark Blade (4/1800/1500) - (4/1000/700)** "and its attack and defense are both reduced by 800!"

Jeanne's eyes widened in shock at that. "Wait, what?"

Martin flinched at that. "Oh, I can see where this is going…"

Violet chuckled "Good. Next I summon Blue Thunder T-45!" As she placed the card, a space fighter appeared with a cobalt blue cockpit. **Blue Thunder T-45 (4/1700/1000)** "And now…" she held a card high above her head. "The REAL fun begins!" With a slam an ungodly cross between a facehugger and flail appeared, wrapping itself around Rahz. **Field-Commander Rahz (4/1600/1200) - (4/1300/900)**

"N-ngh!" Jeanne grunted in panic. "That's-!"

"Jesus!" Crow yelped out. "What the Hell is that thing?!"

"Flint." Violet cackled. "A personal favorite of mine, which is fitting considering Flint is quite the LANDMINE. Any monster equipped with flint loses 300 attack and defense, can't attack, and can't change its battle position. Oh, and if that monster is destroyed, Flint automatically attaches itself to another monster on the field."

Crow's shades nearly slipped off of his face completely. "You have _got_ to be joking. That card must be illegal."

"Nope, it's not even limited." Violet gloated. "I guess people just assume that because it can land you in a position where it attaches itself to one of your monsters, then it completely balances out. Even I won't claim it's all that fair though, moreso than most in fact." She seemed to have an epiphany. "I just realized... you're a bunch of first years; you have no idea who I am, do you? Or rather, whose deck this is."

Jeanne looked as pale as her hair at this point. "You don't mean…"

"My name is, of course, Violet. If you asked most people who uses a Flint deck at this academy, however, the answer would be Robigo." At the rolling of the r, she let the name hang in the air as it sunk it.

"Row-bagel?" Martin said in confusion. "I don't get it."

" _Robigo_ ," Salem corrected. "Greco-Roman goddess of pestilence and rust. While not as known as other gods, she was so feared that there were blood sacrifices required to keep her pleased."

Martin felt the color drain from his face. "Why does she have such a creepy nickname?"

Violet grinned wider as she took in the fear on their faces. "Because no one gets away from me unscathed. You don't want to know how many applicants don't get into duel academy because they got stuck with me as their proctor, and how many people don't move up a dorm because they pulled the short straw and had to duel me as their ascension test. Every one of them got chained down and dragged back to where they belong." She turned to Jeanne. "Why don't you just quit now, princess? Maybe go pat your bratty friend on the head one last time before he gets dragged down as well. ALL the way down, down and out of the academy."

Jeanne shook her head, getting back into the game. "I won't! I'll fight until the last! Make your move!"

Violet shook her head in mock disappointment. "So be it. Shocktopus, take out Rahz!" With an electrified skewering, the soldier burst into pieces, and immediately its metal facehugger jumped onto Dark Blade. **Dark Blade (4/1000/700)-(4/700/400)**

 **Jeanne: 3700LP**

 **Violet: 4000LP**

"Now then, Blue Thunder, attack!" On Violet's command, twin lasers shot into Dark Blade, shattering it as well.

 **Jeanne: 2700LP**

 **Violet: 4000LP**

"And thanks to BT's effect, I get an Option token…" A smaller ship appeared alongside the blue one. **Option (4/1500/1500)** "But I'll let it take the Flint." **Option (4/1200/1200)** "Lastly though, Iron Chain Snake's effect activates! Becuase Dark Blade is level 4, you send the top 4 cards from your deck to the grave! And I think that's it for this eventful turn."

"This isn't good…" Crow groaned as he bit at his thumb nervously. "With two monsters to Jeanne's zero and 1300 Life Points in the hole, Jeanne's at a major disadvantage."

"Still, it's not over until it's over," Martin replied. "She can make it through this, I know she can!"

* * *

Kon removed his goggles to wipe his brow. "These things fog up every five seconds… _wouldn't even need them if not for these goddamned chemicals…"_ There was a knock of metal on metal and Kon's head snapped around, death glare already engaged. "Who's there?!"

The familiar sound of wheels rolling on tile could be heard as a familiar face entered. "Hm. I didn't expect you to be working for once."

Kon remained quiet for a moment before sighing. "Can't catch a break today… My reputation will be dead by tomorrow." He made no effort to hide the ruined project, nor the fact that HIS equipment now surrounded it.#

Xerxes looked at the project silently, nothing being said for several uncomfortable minutes.

Kon continued to meticulously work, ignoring the professor completely nor making any effort to explain himself. A few glances made it clear he was dead set on waiting him out.

"You know… if you apply it in the _other_ direction, the residue won't accumulate as much."

Kon bristled for a moment. "..." Despite not saying anything, he began to dab away in the opposite direction. He turned to the side to reapply the solution, but it didn't entirely muffle his words. "thanks…"

Xerxes smiled as he turned and began to roll away. "I know I shouldn't be saying this as a professor, but… I told you so."

* * *

Back at the duel, things were still looking grim. Jeanne nervously stared at her hand, trying to think up a way to counter Violet's powerful lock.

Violet once again pounced at her hesitation. "Man, how did someone who practically embodies the antithesis of self esteem make it into Obelisk? They really do let anyone in these days….Oh wait, you've got connection in the family, yeah? That must've been it."

"I-I…" Jeanne's grip went slack, and she nearly ended up dropping her cards.

Violet sighed, barely even grinning. "Man, it was fun for like, the first 30 minutes of this wreck of a show, but now even I think it's just getting pathetic."

"Hey, back off!" Martin barked. "She's going to beat you into the ground, just watch!"

"Yeah! Hope you like wearing Slifer Red!" Crow jeered. "...eh, no offense?"

"None taken," Salem replied. "I know why I'm in the Red dorms."

Violet just shrugged and shook her head. "You don't get it, do you? You two are just as clueless. Red, Yellow, Blue… It doesn't mean shit. You can be wearing goddamn purple for all I care, if you can't walk the walk, you'll inevitably get kicked to the curb! Like I said: Confidence is what nets you success! And your precious princess has got esteem in the negatives!"

Jeanne clenched her fist. "That… that may be true…" She stared down Violet defiantly. "But what I lack in confidence, I more than surpass you in skill! I draw!" An armored warrior wielding twin blades took the field, ready to take on what lay before him. "I'll start off by summoning Marauding Captain!" **Marauding Captain (3/1200/400)** The soldier then pulled out a war horn, before blowing into it. "Next, his effect activates! To my side, my loyal companion!"

For a moment, Violet bristled. " _Shit, is she gonna-?"_

Suddenly, a wind kicked in, and as a tumbleweed rolled by, a figure leaped down from above. It was a blonde woman clad in a brown cloak and matching cowboy hat. She wore green leather armor, and on her back was a single blade. She flashed her opponents a cocky smirk as she drew her sword at the ready. **Warrior Lady of the Wasteland (4/1100/1200)**

Salem smiled at that. "I think this is where Jeanne's luck turns around."

Violet exhaled before letting out a single mocking "HA! Here I thought you were actually gonna give me an issue. The heck is SHE gonna do? Summon a duplicate in another futile attempt at stalling?"

"She's served me well in almost every duel I've had. Underestimate her if you want, but we'll win this!" The monster seemed to agree, and seemed to be chomping at the bit for a chance to fight. "Now, I activate the spell card Creature Swap!"

"Be my guest, have a flint locked Option token."

"Thank you. In return, I offer my Warrior Lady." Before another word was spoken, a magic circle appeared under both the monsters, and they swapped places.

Violet chuckled. "All that Loyal Companion garbage and then you swap her like that? If these cards could talk...well they certainly wouldn't have much nice to say about you."

"Actually… she's completely on board with this," Salem responded.

Violet cocked her head towards the slifer. "The heck you on about?"

"What can I say? I'm attuned to this things."

Jeanne looked at her monster sadly. "I'm sorry I have to do this… Marauding Captain? Attack."

In response, the warrior lady merely tipped her cap as she was run through by the armored warrior, before disappating into nothing.

 **Jeanne: 2700LP**

 **Violet: 3900LP**

"Now, my Warrior Lady's effect activates! Since she was destroyed in battle, I can special summon any Earth Warrior with 1500 or less Attack Points!"

"Then do it! Just more fodder for my monsters and more targets for Flint-" a look of realization crept across Violet's face as she realized what the selection of monsters with those exact traits was. "Wait-"

Just as she came to that realization, an exact duplicate of the other Marauding Captain took to the field, ready for combat. **Marauding Captain (3/1200/400)**

"SHIT!" Violet let slip.

Jeanne was beaming with pride at this point.

"Alright! This puts things back in her favor!" Martin cheered.

"I don't get it," Salem replied. "What's so special about another Captain if it's weaker?"

"Seriously?" Crow replied. "This is dueling 101 here."

"Marauding Captain has a secondary effect alongside summoning other Warriors," Martin explained. "Thanks to his courageous nature, he also is the first one willing to take a blow in battle. Put two Captains on the field, and both will step up to take the first shot."

"Or in less fancy terms, Marauding Captain makes it so no other Warrior can be targeted besides him. Two on the field at once puts the whole thing on lockdown," Crow simplified.

Violet already collected herself. "...It won't last long, trust me…" she said through gritted teeth. " _Just need to draw the right spell…"_

"I end my turn," Jeanne replied. "Your move." " _That should stall her for now… enough for me to get a proper strategy in."_

"Rgh… My draw!" Violet cried. " _Good card, but not what I need!"_ "I play double summon! First I tribute my BT to summon Archfiend of Gilfer!" In place of the spaceship was a downright badass demon gargoyle. **Archfiend of Gilfer (6/2200/2500)** "and now for my second summon: FLINT LOCK!" A small futuristic, supersonic jet flew onto the battlefield. **Flint Lock (4/1500/800)** "That Option Token isn't a warrior, so I can at least take it out!" on command, the Archfiend attacked, and while the Option's defensive shield prevented damage from going through, the Flint flew off. Rather than attaching itself to a Captain, however, it flew onto the new jet. The chain proved a perfect fit, and the jet was no weaker for its presence. "I end my-"

"Wait, what's going on?" Martin asked. "Why isn't its attack points going down?"

"If the name didn't give it away, Flint Lock and Flint have a _special_ relationship." Violet said in response. "And don't worry, in addition to being unaffected by Flint, it's got other abilities too!"

"Oh _come on!_ " Crow yelled. "What now?!"

"So long as it's equipped with Flint, it can't be destroyed by battle, that's what!"

"Unfortunately for you, that monster won't be seeing any battle, will it?" Jeanne retorted.

"Don't count yourself safe just yet, princess…" Violet muttered, her face plastered with that ubiquitous expression of a duelist not having 'that one card'.

Jeanne sighed in relief. " _Thank goodness for this lockdown."_ "My draw!" Scanning her cards momentarily, Jeanne shook her head. "Turn end for now."

Violet drew a card and sighed. "Well, if I can't do any direct damage, I can still make the climb more uphill! I activate the equip spell Cursed Armaments! For every monster I control, one of your monsters will lose 600 attack!" **Marauding Captain (4/1200/400) - (4/0/400)**

Jeanne bit at her fingernails nervously as she was effectively left without any defense.

"And lastly, I summon a second Shocktopus."

"This is bad…" Crow realized. "Now, if she's able to get around those defenses, Jeanne is helpless!"

" _Come on, Jeanne…"_ Martin thought to himself. " _Tell me you have something to get around this!"_

"My draw!" Jeanne looked at the card that she drew in surprise. She then smiled slightly. "I set one card facedown and end my turn…"

"My draw." Violet drew and immediately grinned with malice in her eyes. "It's all over for you princess, kiss both yours and your brat's enrollment goodbye." Flint launched itself onto the unimpaired captain. "I activate Flint Lock's third ability: I can choose any monster and reattach a flint to it if that flint was currently attached to Flint Lock!" No sooner did she finish speaking, she held up a card between her index and middle finger and the flint began to glow like a ticking bomb. "And now I activate the spell Flint Missile! Tick Tick BOOM!" The captain was enveloped in a massive blast with nothing left but the Flint, which immediately reattached to Flint Lock.

"No!" Salem cried out.

"Damnit, this can't be it!" Crow yelled.

"Jeanne!" Martin bellowed.

"As if it matters, but Flint Missile also goes back into my deck instead of the grave." Violet said as she shuffled the card back in. "Now then… Gilfer, why don't you start?" With a roar the Archfiend went in for a divebomb on the 0 ATK monster.

Before the Archfiend could end it, it was suddenly blocked, preventing it from shredding the weakened Captain. Waboku had arrived yet again.

Violet rolled her eyes. "Really? You coulda least gone out with a bang, but no ya gotta hide behind a glass wall for one last turn. What does it even matter? You summon a third Captain I just wait for another missile. And if you summon a strong monster, even without my flint, the moment you destroy one of mine it gets weakened!" She held both arms outstretched. "Face it princess, no matter what you do, you're sunk. You're getting dragged down like all the other trash."

Jeanne, for once, was not cowed or afraid. Instead, she simply smiled.

"...What have you got?" Violet said, her confidence in what she said slipping away. "You don't have it in you to bluff. What's in your hand?" For once she spoke without her usual bravado.

"Let me show you, as I activate the trap card Call of the Haunted!" The earth began to rumble and shake, before splitting open.

Violet frowned. "None of the monsters I've destroyed would help at all, you just saw what happens if you try that lockdown."

"Who said you destroyed it?" Jeanne replied. An onyx arm with silver cracks along it burst out of the crevice, a similarly colored blade attached to it.

Violet paled. "When…. how did HE get-?"

The warrior rose to his full height, revealing a figure clad completely in iron armor. He let out a mighty roar that shook the battlefield, before glaring at his opposition, blade arm at the ready. **Gearfried the Iron Knight (4/1800/1600)**

"Alright!" Martin cried out. "Since Gearfried destroys any equip spell that's given to it, Violet's plan's been sunk! There goes that Flint Card!"

Realization came over Violet. "Th-Those 4 cards…"

"Thank you," Jeanne replied. "If it wasn't for your Iron Chain Snake, I may have lost then. Now then, I'm assuming it's my turn now?"

Violet nodded shakily.

Jeanne drew her card. "Now then… I play the spell card Double Summon! With this, I'll summon two more Gearfrieds to the field!" Immediately, two siblings of the Iron Knight leaped down, before taking a battle pose beside their brother and the Marauding Captain. **Gearfried the Iron Knight (4/1800/1600)**

Violet grit her teeth. "S-So? Not a single one of them can take down my Archfiend!"

"Maybe not yet," Jeanne replied. "Which is why I have this card. The A. Forces!"

"SHIT!"

Almost immediately, the Warriors all began to glow with energy, their bonds allowing them to draw strength from each other. **Gearfried the Iron Knight (4/1800/1600) - Gearfried the Iron Knight (4/2600/1600)**

" _It's fine Violet, Flint missile is indestructible, and is in defense mode, you won't take enough damage to lose, you can turn this around…"_ By this point Violet's demeanor had collapsed. To her credit she wasn't a babbling mess like most would be, but she was still sweating bullets

"Now!" Jeanne cried out triumphantly. "My first two Gearfrieds shall attack the Shocktopi!" The second and third of the summoned armored soldiers charged forward, roaring as they slashed the aquatic creatures in half. Both creatures reformed around their attackers, only to fry like they'd short circuited, before disappearing for good.

Violet covered her face as the recoil took its toll.

 **Violet: 2000LP**

 **Jeanne: 2700LP**

"Not good…" Violet murmured. " _None of my monsters can equip to them either!"_

"Next up, my final Gearfried shall defeat your Archfiend! Go forth with Blade Frenzy!" Spinning like an armored tornado, Gearfried shot forward, ramming into the Archfiend's chest. Gearfried continued to spin, faster and faster, before it tore completely through Gilfer's body, ripping it in half. Again, the monster reformed, but upon nearing Gearfried was zapped into pieces.

 **Jeanne: 2700LP**

 **Violet: 1600LP**

"I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn. Make your move, Violet! Because next turn, it's over for you!"

Violet merely grunted as she yanked a card into her hand. "Never say die, Violet…" she muttered. "ergh...I set Des Kangaroo in defense mode…" A boxing colorful kangaroo took a defensive stance, uppercut at the ready. "...and reattach Flint to Marauding captain before activating another flint missile!" Another blast, and once again the Flint reattached to Flint Lock. "and… and… I end my turn." She said, voice beginning to shake.

Jeanne let out a sigh of relief. "It's time to end this match. For good. I draw!" Suddenly, a storm began to kick in, flashes of lightning coming across the entire area.

"What're you planning?!" Violet called, one hand clenched hard enough to crease her entire hand.

"By sacrificing all three of my monsters, I'll bring to the field one of my most powerful cards! Thunder god rage! Lightning god scream! Avatar of the storms arise and strike down your foes! Descend upon the battlefield, GILFORD THE LIGHTNING!" With one final clap of thunder, a bolt of lightning struck the earth, unleashing a blinding flash.

In the monster's wake, Violet's field was left barren. "NO!"

As the smoldering earth cleared, a single warrior was left standing amidst the rubble. It was a giant of a man, wielding an equally titanic blade. His entire body crackled with raw electrical power, and beneath his helmet, he stared down his one foe, before unsheathing his blade. **Gilford the Lightning (8/2800/1400)**

Violet instinctively took a step back, holding one arm up to her face and looking out over it, eyes wide. " _How?! How could she beat me?! ME! This isn't right, this isn't how it should go!"_

"Now, Gilford!" Jeanne commanded, striking her arm forward with confidence she hadn't shown before. "End this duel once and for all with Heavenly Thunderstroke!" Grunting, Gilford charged forward, before swinging his blade once, slashing Violet across the chest with his blade, unleashing a mighty electric slash.

 _BOOOM!_

There was a shriek as the air flashed, before Violet fell to her knees and hands, cards fallen next to her and breathing heavy.

 **Violet: 0LP**

 **Jeanne: 2700LP**

Jeanne let out a sigh of relief as the holograms faded.

"WOOHOO!" Martin yelped, startling everyone. Since Jeanne had taken control of the duel, everyone had stopped talking, and the sudden burst of noise caught them off guard. "Now _that_ was awesome!" Martin whooped.

Jeanne blushed at that, and smiled awkwardly. "Do you really think so?"

"Yes, I believe that was quite the duel," an outside voice interjected.

Violet bristled, but didn't speak.

Professor Xerxes wheeled in, looking between Jeanne and Violet. "Now then, both of you put up quite the admirable battle here. You've both proven that you've earned your reputations as duelists." He turned to Violet.

Violet had already put her deck and duel disc up, and placed it at her side, now standing and staring coldly. Her expression made it clear she knew the position she was in, but nowhere on her face was a shred of fear.

Xerxes shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry that it had to come to this Violet. You do have quite the talents. However, even under your circumstances, you have to report to Headmaster Kageyama. Come with me, child."

Violet silently nodded and followed the professor, but not before sending Jeanne a look that made her thoughts clear: " _This isn't over, princess."_

" _Circumstances?"_ The word hung in the air amongst the group of friends, but it was soon forgotten as Xerxes once again interjected.

"Oh, Jeanne? Kon has something for you. Go to the labs and he'll show you." With that, the professor wheeled away, Violet silently following behind him.

"Kon?" Crow asked. "Oh yeah… he left earlier. I was wondering what he was doing."

"Well, there's nothing left to do but check up on him," Martin replied.

The group walked off in the general direction of the labs, eventually arriving at Xerxes's classroom.

Despite the professor's words, Kon was nowhere to be seen. Conspicuously, however, there was a large clearly hollow cardboard box covering Jeanne's table, with a note attached in poor handwriting.

Jeanne picked up the note, reading it.

It read as follows: " _Shit like this is exactly why I want none of your goddamn "friendship." Thanks to you people I had to spend the evening working. Next time you have issues, leave me out of it._

 _-Kon"_

Jeanne smiled at that, before opening the box. Gasping, she dropped the note to the floor.

On Jeanne's worktable was her project fully restored, without a speck of rust to be seen, and possibly even more polished than before the incident. A small bottle with the label "HCl, warning: highly acidic" was left with the note "use lightly in case of rusting" attached.

" _He really isn't that bad after all…"_

* * *

A/N: *inhales* Welp. It's been a long time. I'm really sorry if this chapter isn't as up to snuff with my usual fare. I'm out of practice for my writing, so that's an issue I need to overcome. I'm genuinely sorry that I haven't been uploading as faithfully as I should. I've had to deal with a lot of issues at college, which slowed me down and all but drained my motivations to write. I had to deal with over six months of writer's block which I've only now begun to chip away at. I promise that I'll try and get my work better than it is now. Until then, I really hope you all are patient with me, and I hope that any readers I have are still willing to read. Until next time, farewell.


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